The Great Experiment
by SilvorMoon
Summary: Chapter seven up! Sometimes the smallest losses hurt the most. Meanwhile, Koushiro tests his knowledge against Chiaromon's wiles.
1. The Mutant in the Basement

Disclaimer: All things Digimon belong to Saban. I made up Chiaromon and the mutant, and gave the kids names and personalities.   
The rest of it is not mine. This is something of an experimental work - that means I'm posting this part just to see if this is something  
people will actually read. If someone does, more parts will follow.  
  
The Mutant in the Basement  
By: SilvorMoon  
  
"Mamaaaaa! He's doing it again!"  
  
"I was not!"  
  
"Were too!"  
  
"Quiet, both of you!" Miyako shouted over the chaos. The children became still at once,  
looking innocently up into their mother's eyes, and Miyako sighed. She loved all three of her  
children, but there were times...  
  
"That's better," she said, looking from one boy to the other. "Now, what is it this time?"  
  
Natte, the youngest boy, pouted. "Kaze was pinching me."  
  
"I was not!" said Kaze. "I was barely touching him. He just wants to get me in trouble."  
  
"Do not! You were hurting me!" Natte insisted, and his Minomon bobbed his head in  
agreement.  
  
"He was crying," said the Minomon.  
  
"Shut up, Crawler," Kaze snapped. "You always take his side!"  
  
"You were being a little rough," his own Digimon, a Wormmon called Larva, said.  
"Couldn't you just... you know, say you're sorry and forget about it?"  
  
"Three to one, Kaze," said Kaiya. She was the oldest, and enjoyed her superiority over her  
brothers. "I don't know what you thought you were doing, but even Wingblade noticed."  
  
Wingblade, her Hawkmon, shot her a look over the rims of his sunglasses. "I notice  
everything. I just don't tell you, that's all."  
  
Miyako sighed again and rolled her eyes. She would have thought that after all these  
years, her little brood would have adjusted to their circumstances, but there were times when it  
seemed like things were never going to settle down. For the past three years, ever since her  
divorce from Ken Ichijouji, the two oldest children had gone to live with their father, while Natte remained with his mother. That was a situation that worked out to everyone's advantage: Ken was a good father and loved all of his children dearly, making sure to pay frequent visits to his youngest child. Miyako's part of the settlement involved having the children come and visit her every so often, usually spending the weekend. However, with a teenager, a pair of feuding  
brothers, and three extra Digimon in the house, things tended to get a little hectic.  
  
"Kaze, Kaze, Kaze," she sighed, "why do you keep on doing this? Natte never does  
anything to you."  
  
"Natte's a pain," said Kaze sullenly. "I want to go home."  
  
"I don't know what's gotten into you lately," said Miyako. "You were never like this  
before."  
  
"He's just reaching that crazy age," said Kaiya philosophically.  
  
"She didn't ask you," said Wingblade.  
  
"Shut up!"  
  
"Make me!"  
  
"All of you be quiet!" Miyako shouted. "Honestly! Why did I ever think I wanted a dozen  
children?"  
  
"If you don't want us here, send us home. I want to go back to Dad anyway," said Kaze.  
  
"Under the circumstances," said Hawkmon quietly to Miyako, "perhaps it might be  
advisable."  
  
"Maybe you're right," she agreed. "Ken's probably home now, anyway. He won't care if I  
bring the kids home early. Come on, kids. Let's head for the car."  
  
"Us too?" asked Larva, looking up at Miyako with worried blue eyes.  
  
That was enough to make her laugh, releasing a bit of tension. "You didn't think I'd leave  
you here, would you?"  
  
"I don't know," said Larva, flicking his antennae in a caterpillar shrug. "We weren't the  
ones causing the trouble."  
  
Kaiya laughed. "You couldn't get Wingblade to stay here if you tried. He left his hair gel  
at home, and he's been fretting all weekend."  
  
"You're the one who forgot!" Wingblade retorted. "I told you very specifically to bring it!"  
  
Hawkmon sighed, and Kaiya and her mother both exchanged knowing looks. For all they  
were the same type of Digimon, it would have been hard to find two creatures with more  
different personalities. Hawkmon was ever polite and reserved; Wingblade made it a point to be obnoxious and act tough, complete with his ever-present black glasses and his feathers slicked and dyed into a red mohawk. The only thing that they had in common was their absolute  
devotion to their respective partners.  
  
"Can I come, too?" asked Natte. "I want to see Daddy!"  
  
"You stay out of it," Kaze said. "You don't belong with us."  
  
"Kaze, that's not nice," Miyako scolded. "I can't leave Natte at home alone. He's coming  
with us."  
  
"Well, I could look after him for a bit, if you want..." Hawkmon offered.  
  
"No, thanks," Miyako replied. She gave one of her darkest looks to Kaze. "This boy is  
going to learn how to get along with his brother - and like it!"  
  
So that was how they all ended up piling into Miyako's minivan - her and Hawkmon in  
front, Kaiya and Wingblade in the middle, and Natte and Kaze in the back, with their respective  
Digimon trying to keep them from hurting each other. Miyako drove grimly, ignoring the sounds  
of scuffling in the back. When they escalated, there was a feathery sort of whap, as if  
someone had been hit by a stiff, bony wing, and then there was only whimpering that faded into  
silence.  
  
*I wish I knew what was wrong with those two,* Miyako mused.  
  
When Natte had been born, he had been the darling of the family. Kaiya had been  
delighted at the prospect of a baby in the house, and Kaze, at the time too young to know boys  
were supposed to be tough, had been equally pleased. The youngest of the Ichijoujis had learned to crawl and talk under his brother's doting eye, and Kaze had been looking forward to the day when they'd both be old enough to go to school together. He had spent hours looking after his little brother, reading him stories or just talking to him. The divorce, not easy on anyone, had been particularly rough on Kaze.  
  
*Maybe he blames it on Natte, somehow?* Miyako wondered, glancing in the  
rearview mirror. The two boys were both staring out the windows, pointedly ignoring each other and hugging their partners. *The break happened not long after Natte was born; maybe he thinks it was Natte's fault. He couldn't really understand what drove his parents apart... or could he? Could I tell him? Would it help?*  
  
She didn't have an answer by the time she arrived at Ken's apartment building, so she  
simply contented herself in thinking that she wouldn't have to deal with the problem for another  
month, not until it came time for them to visit again. Maybe she could talk things over with Ken  
before them, ask him if he thought the children were old enough to hear the whole story.   
  
She continued musing as she piled everyone on the elevator and began the ride to the top  
floor. Most people would have preferred not to live in such an environment - always too hot in  
summer and too cold in winter - but Ken loved the view, not to mention easy access to the roof  
and the sunlight. It was a good take-off and landing place for Stingmon and Wingblade, too.  
When they had finally reached the last floor, Miyako herded the small troop down the hall and  
knocked on the door. There was no answer.  
  
"Hello?" Miyako called. There was silence. "Hello? Ken? Wormmon? Anyone home?  
Hello?"  
  
Still no answer. Curious, and a bit worried, she tried the door. It was locked.  
  
"He must have gone out," she said to herself. "But where could he be? He knew we were  
coming over today..."  
  
"I suppose he could be out doing the shopping," Hawkmon suggested. "We should have  
called first."  
  
"Guess we'll have to go home again," sighed Miyako. "Drats. It'll be rush hour back  
there, too. By the time we get back home, it will be time to turn around and come back!"  
  
"I have a key," Kaiya offered. "We could go inside and wait for him, if you want. I think  
there are some cookies in there, if Wormmon hasn't eaten them."  
  
"Yeah! Cookies!" Natte cheered, and Crawler hopped up and down excitedly.  
  
"I guess we'll stay," said Kaze. "Dad won't be gone too long, will he?"  
  
"I wouldn't think so. After all, he is expecting us," Miyako replied.  
  
"Good," said Kaze. He shot a dark look at his brother, which everyone ignored.  
  
Kaiya unlocked the door and led everyone inside. As usual, Ken had left the place  
spotless, and Miyako smiled a little in reminiscence.  
  
*Always the neat freak,* she thought wryly. She had always been a casual  
housekeeper, and so it had fallen out that Ken had done most of the work himself. The only place that wasn't sparkling was his art study. The door stood slightly ajar, showing her a clutter of frames, canvasses, bottles of paint, easels, palettes, lamps, half-finished works, and other odds and ends that only an artist would understand. A window stood open, curtains flapping in the breeze, but it could only air out some of the heavy scent of paint and turpentine. She went to shut the door, listening absently as the boys clamored around the kitchen, forgetting whatever  
disagreement they had in the face of such a dazzling prospect as chocolate chip cookies.  
  
Suddenly, the phone rang.  
  
"Should we get it?" asked Hawkmon.  
  
"Why not?" she replied. "For all we know, it could be him calling to see if we're here."  
  
"What if it's none of our business?" Hawkmon asked.  
  
"Then we'll hang up." Miyako grabbed the nearest phone. "Hello?"  
  
"Hi, this is Taichi," said the voice on the other end. He sounded a little rushed; he was  
talking fast. "Ken wouldn't be in by any chance, would he?"  
  
"No," Miyako replied. "We were just waiting for him."  
  
"Oh, well, if he turns up, let me know right away, okay?" Taichi replied.  
  
"Why? Is something wrong?" she asked.  
  
"I don't know," said Taichi vaguely. "I don't want to worry you..."  
  
"I'm already worried. Tell me."  
  
"Well, it's like this: Ken and I went to the Digital World for a little while. I turned my  
back on him for a minute, and next thing I know..."  
  
"No Ken," Miyako finished.  
  
"Right. We tried tracking his Digivice signal, but so far, we haven't had any luck. I  
thought he might have decided to go home or something, since it doesn't look like he's in the  
Digital World anymore, but if he's not there..."  
  
"I'm sure he'll turn up," said Miyako, more bravely than she felt. "Ken's strong. He can  
take care of himself. And he does have Wormmon with him, doesn't he?"  
  
"Always," Taichi replied. "That's true; he's pretty safe as long as his partner is with him.  
Most things would think twice about messing with Stingmon."  
  
"He'll turn up," Miyako said reassuringly. "In the meantime, I guess I can look after the  
kids a little longer."  
  
"Oh, you've got them with you?" asked Taichi. "Say hi to them for me. My Hoshi's just getting to the age where he's figured out Kaiya's cute."  
  
Miyako rolled her eyes. "Kaiya's gotten to the age where she thinks every guy is cute.  
Maybe Hoshi will get lucky... Kids these days. Was I ever like that?"  
  
"You don't really want me to answer that, do you?"  
  
"No, not really."  
  
"All right. See you, Miyako. And let me know when Ken gets back. It'll take a load off  
my mind."  
  
"Bye, Taichi. I'll give you a call."  
  
Miyako hung up and immediately went fishing in her purse for her D-3. Even though she  
seldom needed it these days, it was still comforting to have around, and now she was glad to  
have it. She picked it up and scanned the area for Ken's signal, but the screen remained  
frustratingly blank. That could only mean he wasn't in the real world, but if he wasn't there and  
wasn't in the Digital World... where was he?  
  
*******************************************  
  
A few hours later, Ken had been following Taichi and Agumon over the hills of a digital  
plain, watching a small group of young Kiwimon playing tag on the grass. He tilted back his head to enjoy the sunlight on his face and stretched, careful not to dislodge the large caterpillar that rode proudly on his shoulder.  
  
"Thanks for bringing me along, Taichi," he said. "I really needed a break."  
  
"No problem," Taichi replied. "I'm always glad for some company... especially when I have  
to go to boring meetings. You wouldn't believe how much a Floramon can talk!"  
  
"What's the problem this time?" Ken asked.  
  
"Oh, you know, the usual - people wandering around who aren't supposed to be here,  
picnicking and making a mess," said Taichi with a grimace. "As if I can do anything about it except  
maybe cut this area off from public access... maybe that's not a bad idea. How about we cut off  
everything except... oh, I dunno. The tops of the mountains, the middle of the ocean, and that  
swamp where all the Ogremon hang out."  
  
Ken laughed. "That would be one way to solve the problem. I'm not sure you could get  
everyone to agree to that."  
  
"True. That's life," Taichi sighed. "Maybe I'll get somebody else to be ambassador. You  
want to give it a try?"  
  
"Not me! I've had quite enough of worrying about how the DigiWorld ought to be run,"  
said Ken. "Maybe I'll sit the meeting out... just walk around for a while. Clear the cobwebs out  
of my brain."  
  
"Okay. Just don't wander off too far," Taichi replied with a wink. "Wouldn't want you to get  
lost or anything."  
  
"Who, me? Lost?" asked Ken in mock-offense. "I'll have you know there was a time  
when I had every tree and bush of this place memorized! Of course, I can't remember much from that time now..."  
  
Taichi laughed. "Well, have a nice time. I'll see you later. Come on, Agumon, let's go find  
that meeting. If we're lucky, maybe they'll have refreshments!"  
  
Ken smiled as he watched his friends hurry off. Much as he liked the company of the  
other Digidestined, there was still a part of him who enjoyed his solitude. He had certainly seen a great deal of the Digital World back in the dark days, but he always looked forward to a chance to look at it again with new eyes, not the look of one who was considering ownership, or even the look of someone determined to protect, but just a simple gaze of appreciation. The Digital World was, to him, the most beautiful form of art there was, constantly in motion and ever surprising. At the moment, the Kiwimons had finished their game of tag and were now converting a few vines into jump ropes. For a moment, Ken and Wormmon stopped to watch them, and even took a turn at trying to jump over the twirling rope themselves, getting their feet tangled up and laughing.  
  
When the Kiwimon had grown tired of playing and returned to their nests and Taichi showed  
no signs of returning, Ken began to grow restless. He began to wander closer to the edge of a  
forest he could just barely make out in the distance. Dangerous things had been known to lurk in forests, but nothing had been known to enter this valley that was more deadly than a few rogue Woodmon, and once a very lost Triceramon. He doubted he'd encounter anything his partner couldn't handle.  
  
"What do you think?" he asked. "Feel like doing a little exploring?"  
  
"As long as we don't go too far," Wormmon replied. "Taichi will get worried if we wander  
off."  
  
"We won't go far. I just want a change of scenery."  
  
Inside the forest, the air was cooler and damper, smelling of pine needles and fir boughs.  
A few flits of motion, small woodland Digimon, darted in and out between the trees. Ken waved to a few of them. However, the further they walked, the darker the woods grew, and the fewer creatures they encountered. Emerald moss grew on the ground, hidden here and there by rusty needles and itself hiding the roots of trees, forcing Ken to walk carefully lest he trip. His footfalls made no sound, and the absolute silence was eerie. Ken was just beginning to think he should turn back when he heard - clear and sharp in the still air - a sound.  
  
It was music. Somewhere up ahead, someone was playing what sounded like a wooden  
flute, the melody too muffled by the forest to be made out clearly. Curious, Ken began making  
his way closer to the sound, dimly surprised that Wormmon wasn't objecting. They were going  
deeper into the woods, and he had felt the little worm's tension, but a quick glance showed that  
his partner's antennae were pricked forward with interest. Obviously, he was just as curious  
about the noise as Ken. That was all the encouragement he needed; Ken picked up the pace,  
listening to the music becoming clearer as he ran. He tripped on a root and almost fell, skidded  
on some damp moss, righted himself, and then came to a sudden stop as a beam of light struck  
his eyes.  
  
He was standing at the edge of a clearing, a place where the trees seemed to have been  
rudely pushed out of the way to make room for a bit of meadowland that didn't seem to belong  
there. If Ken had been paying close attention, he would have noticed that not a single pinecone or even a needle had fallen into the glen, nor did the moss encroach on it anywhere. However, he wasn't looking at the glen at all. He was looking at what was in it - or rather, iwho/i was in it, for the occupant was very nearly, if not completely, human. He wore a coat of sapphire blue, underlaid with sky-colored trousers and pale purple boots. It never stuck Ken to wonder what a creature like this would be doing here, or why it should look vaguely familiar, or why it should have its face covered by a mask. He could only stand and stare, watching this bizarre figure as it danced with inhuman grace through the clearing, leaping and spinning in a swirl of ribbons and light. He carried a set of pan pipes in his hands, and he played a rollicking melody on them, a complex set of notes that made Ken feel oddly as if his brain was turning somersaults, disrupting any conscious thought. The dancer went on playing, seemingly oblivious to his audience, even though Ken and Wormmon stood blank-eyed at the edge of the glen, close enough to reach out and touch him if only they could have moved. Finally, though, the strange performer seemed to tire of his location, and he turned and began dancing off into the shadows of the woods, and Ken followed stiffly after him, eyes dull and unblinking. Soon they were gone, and the clearing vanished, soaking into the scenery like a drop of water on a cloth, leaving no trace of their passing.  
  
**************************************************  
  
"Where is he?" asked Kaiya, for what must have been the fifteenth time.  
  
"He'll be back," Wingblade answered. Even with his sunglasses on, he was refusing to  
look his partner. "He has Stingmon to look after him, doesn't he? That bug would rather die than let anyone set a finger on Ken."  
  
"I know that!" Kaiya snapped. "Everyone keeps telling me that, and it doesn't do a bit of  
good. If whatever he'd run into really wasn't something Stingmon couldn't handle, he wouldn't  
be... wherever he is now! He'd be home with us!"  
  
"Keep it down!" said Wingblade. "If you yell, Kaze will hear you, and you'll never get  
him to shut up."  
  
"Too late," said Kaze from the next room.  
  
Kaiya sighed; why did she always end up with the responsibility? Miyako may have  
divorced her husband, but that didn't mean she wasn't deeply worried at his disappearance. She  
had locked herself in her room, giving her oldest child orders to look after the others. There were quiet murmurs from the room that sounded like Miyako was making phone calls on a desperate search for an answer, a clue, any kind of help. Natte was keeping close to Kaiya, hugging Crawler for comfort, expressing himself only in silent presence and wide, worried stares. It seemed Kaze had gone into his room to sulk, but that didn't seem to mean he wasn't paying attention to what was going on around him.  
  
Sure enough, Kaze came sauntering into the living room a moment later, an odd  
expression of triumph fixed on his face. Larva crawled behind him, looking worried.  
  
"What are you looking so cocky about?" Kaiya demanded.  
  
"Bet I know where he's gone," answered Kaze. "He's dumped us."  
  
"What?" asked Kaiya.  
  
"He left us," Kaze replied. "He waited until we were gone, and then he left."  
  
"Kaze, that's an awful thing to say. If mom were here, she'd make you wash your mouth  
out with soap," said Kaiya.  
  
"So what?" Kaze snapped. "He left her, too. Left her, left that little creature-" He spat the  
words at Natte, making him flinch. "-and now he's left us. We shouldn't be surprised."  
  
"Why would he want to leave us?" Kaiya asked, shocked and horrified.  
  
Kaze shrugged. "Probably because we remind him of her." He narrowed his eyes,  
sharp violet orbs that were so much like his father's. "He hates her."  
  
"Kaze..." Larva whimpered. "Don't say things like that!"  
  
"Quiet. You know as well as I do what's going on," Kaze replied.  
  
"What does he know?" asked Kaiya suspiciously.  
  
"Nothing!" said Kaze, looking suddenly guilty.  
  
"Oh, no you don't!" Kaiya replied. "I've had about enough of this high-and-mighty act of  
yours, and I'm going to get some information out of you. Wingblade?"  
  
"Right." The hawk Digimon nodded and made a dive for Larva, who squeaked in fright.  
There was a brief tangle as he struggled to worm his way out of the larger 'mon's hands, but  
feathers were not very good for gripping, and the Wormmon was able to escape. Kaze scooped him up protectively and shot a dagger-look at his sister.  
  
"Don't ever do that again," he said.  
  
"If you don't want it to happen, you'd better start talking," Kaiya replied.  
  
"It's all right," said Natte quietly. "I know he hates me. You don't have to make him  
explain it."  
  
Everyone turned to stare; that was more than the little boy usually said at a time. The  
youngest boy was only four years old, but there were times when they all wondered if he wasn't  
as smart as any of them. His eyes, the same soft blue they had been since he was a baby, stared  
at them all sadly. Kaira couldn't resist the impulse to drop on one knee and hug him.  
  
"Kaze doesn't hate you," she said. "He's just a little tense right now."  
  
"Kaze hates me," Natte repeated.  
  
His eyes locked on Kaze's for a moment. Something about the look seemed to enrage the  
older boy, and he turned his head with a look of disgust.  
  
"You know what I think?" ventured a timid voice, breaking the silence. Five shocked  
pairs of eyes turned to look at Crawler the Minomon. "I think Ken's in the Digital World, still."  
  
"But you heard what Mom told us," said Kaira. "Mr. Kamiya couldn't find him there."  
  
"If he were in the real world, the Digivice would find him," said Crawler.  
  
"Same goes for the DigiWorld," said Wingblade.  
  
"What if it's magic?" Crawler suggested. "A magic thing has trouble getting into the real  
world, but there are plenty of magic things in the Digital World. One of them could hide your  
father there."  
  
"Or he could hide himself," said Larva timidly.  
  
"Hm," said Kaiya. She reached in her pocket. She had been Digidestined since the day  
she was born, the day a tiny Pururumon had appeared next to her as she slept. As such, she had a Digivice of her own, seldom used but always present. Even if it was nothing more than one of the little blue boxes carried by the first Digidestined, not one of the fancier sorts like what her mother carried, it was still a comforting thing to have around. She turned it over in her hands. It might have been only her imagination, but she thought she could almost feel its power  
thrumming against her fingers, as if begging to be used.  
  
"Do you think we could go to the Digital World?" asked Natte. "I've never been!"  
  
"Yes, you have," said Kaze. "You were just too little to remember, that's all."  
  
"Mom might get mad if we vanished, too," said Kaiya. She glanced at the closed door her  
mother hid behind.  
  
"She won't notice," said Kaze. "Let's go to the DigiWorld! We can use Mom's  
computer."  
  
They all looked over to a desk in a corner, where a computer sat innocently. Hesitantly, as if  
she thought it might bite, Kaiya walked over to it and turned it on. It hummed to life, showing a  
cheery screen with a selection of icons against a wallpaper of soaring eagles, and yet she still  
hesitated.  
  
"I've never done this before," she said uneasily. Her brothers only glared at her, clearly  
ashamed at her cowardice. Wingblade was giving her similar looks over the rims of his glasses.  
"Oh, all right! Here goes nothing. Digi-port, open!"  
  
The computer made sputtering noises, as if it didn't trust her. Then there was an electric  
Icrack/I as a bolt of lightning seemed to sizzle through it, and the screen glowed a brilliant,  
eye-searing blue. Then there was a shifting feeling that made all their stomachs lurch. Then they  
were gone.  
  
***********************************************  
  
Ken came awake with a headache worse than any he could remember in his life, worse than  
the one he'd had after that college party Daisuke had insisted he go to. His eyes refused to focus on anything clearly, and he could only be grateful that the room he found himself in was dark. He was sure light would only have made him feel much worse, and as he became more aware of his surroundings, he began to feel that he didn't really Iwant/I to see where he was. Only vague and random details were making their way to his addled brain: a cold, smooth floor, a smell of dampness, intense shadow. Then something occurred to him that made him snap awake with a jolt.  
  
"Wormmon!" he shouted.  
  
In reply, there was a tiny groan that could only have come from a caterpillar in as much pain  
as his partner. Ken tried to scramble toward the noise, feeling his stomach clench in worry; Ken  
would forgive someone who hurt him, but anyone who tried to harm Wormmon would swear Ken had never completely gotten over the emperor's violent streak. He crawled around blindly in the darkness and ran into something cold and hard, adding a fresh ache to his already pounding head. He put up a hand and felt bars, each about an inch and half thick, smooth as glass but hard as steel, set at intervals no wider than his palm. A chill ran down Ken's spine as an indefinable horror stuck him. He recoiled instinctively, then forced himself to reach out and touch the bars again, following them, searching for the boundaries of his confinement. It didn't take long for him to find the first corner, then the second and third. The darkness made it impossible to be sure, but he guessed he was in a cage no larger than four feet square. Even worse, his partner wasn't in it.  
  
"Wormmon?" he called again. "Where are you?"  
  
There was another whimper, then a weak voice. "Ken? How come I'm not with you?"  
  
"I'm in a cage," said Ken. "Please tell me you aren't."  
  
There was a scuffling noise and a faint rattling.  
  
"Sorry, Ken," Wormmon sighed. "It looks like I'm stuck, too."  
  
Ken sighed. "Don't apologize, Wormmon. It's not your fault."  
  
"But I'm supposed to protect you. If I'd been doing my job, neither of us would be in cages."  
  
"Don't talk like that. You never would have let something like this happen on purpose," Ken  
replied. He frowned. "How Idid/I we end up here, anyway? Last thing I can remember, we were walking in the woods, and we were just about to turn back... and then everything goes  
blank."  
  
"I'll tell you how you came here, your highness," said a mocking voice from the shadows.  
  
The lights suddenly came on, and Ken winced as his sensitive eyes were momentarily blinded. However, it only took a brief minute for him to recover, and it seemed his host didn't mind waiting for Ken to get the full effect. When he could see again, what he found was just as gloomy as he'd expected: a large room made of crudely carved stone, a dungeon of some sort judging by the chains that hung from the walls and ceiling. Ken could now see clearly that he was caught in a boxlike cage of some glossy black material, and Wormmon hung from the ceiling in what looked like a large birdcage of the same material. None of this was very surprising, however, so Ken focused his attention on his captor.  
  
Standing at the foot of a staircase, dramatically illuminated by the light of a torch, was what at first appeared to be a human man. He had refined features, slightly spiky blonde hair, and bright blue eyes. His clothing was mostly black with only a collar of white and long white gloves and boots, all of it fitting over a muscular body like a second skin. His most remarkable features were a pair of wings that sprung from his shoulders. One was white and feathery, shimmering in  
opalescent colors. The other was black and ragged, bringing to mind Devimon and other such  
unpleasant beasts. He wore a smile that Ken knew well; he'd seen it on his own face many times, reflected in mirrors and computer screens as he'd mused on something particularly diabolical. Now he had to remind himself of the futility of trying to get up and smack this arrogant stranger into humility.  
  
"I see you have finally recovered," said the stranger. "Allow me to welcome you to my home. I am Prince Chiaromon - inferior, of course, to such an exalted person as yourself, Emperor..."  
  
"Don't call me that," Ken growled. "Don't Iever/I call me that!"  
  
"Whatever you say," answered Chairomon airily. "I hope to change your mind, however, about your acceptance of that title. The Digimon Emperor would be a valuable ally for me, but Ken Ichijouji the angst-ridden penitent is pathetically useless."  
  
"Then let me go," said Ken. "I'd rather die than become the Emperor again."  
  
"Ah, yes. That goes with the territory," Chiaromon said. "You always did have a bit of a  
death-wish. When offered your fondest dream, all you could think of was death and destruction, even when you thought you had recovered from those nasty emotions."  
  
"Don't twist my words," said Ken. "Or my thoughts. I know what I meant, and I'm not letting  
you mess with my mind. I've had my fill of that already."  
  
"I've no doubt of that, either. That's why I brought you here," answered Chiaromon. "Or rather, had my servant bring you here. Useless creature that he is, he does have some skills at  
entrancement. It was so kind of you to come today, Ichijouji. It was such good timing - I'd been  
wanting someone who was full of darkness inside. A dark Digidesined." He spoke the words  
caressingly, as if he were on the verge of drooling. Ken felt sick.  
  
"What are you talking about?" he asked, trying to distract the creature. "And how do you know so much about me?"  
  
"I know all about the Digidestined," Chiaromon answered. "I've spent the last several years  
finding out everything about them I could - I'll wager I know more about them than you do. It's  
sort of a pet project of mine. You see, I've had a goal in mind for some time now. Can you guess what it is?"  
  
"I suppose you're one of those types who think taking over the Digital World would be a good thing?" asked Ken in tones of disgust. "Let me tip you in on something: it's not as much fun as you think."  
  
"It all depends on your motive, dear man. Actually, taking over the Digital World is only my  
secondary objective - a nice little bonus if all other things go well. What I actually want is  
something only you, or someone like you, can do. I want the door to the Dark Ocean opened."  
  
"The Dark Ocean?" Ken repeated in a whisper. Other exclamations clamored around inside of him, but they all seemed to be catching in his throat. A distant part of his mind wondered what this elegant, arrogant creature would do if Ken threw up on Chiaromon's boots.  
  
"You remember it, of course," Chiaromon replied. "You've opened the door before."  
  
"I was nearly lost in darkness doing it. I would have gotten lost if my friends weren't there to  
help me."  
  
"That's exactly what I want," said Chiaromon, smiling greasily. "That is my great experiment. I want to see, once and for all, whether Good can stand up to the unleashed forces of Evil. Whether one can open themselves to the dimension of pure darkness and come through unscathed. I want to see it with my own eyes - the ultimate clash of good and evil: the purity of the Digidestined against the evil of the Dark Ocean."  
  
"You can't open the door to the Dark Ocean," said Wormmon. "Black WarGreymon's seal  
would prevent it. He sealed this world against evil influences."  
  
"True," said Chiaromon. "A valiant effort, that. But that doesn't seal the Digital World from  
evil forever. It only means that nothing less powerful than Black WarGreymon can break the seal. I don't pretend to be as powerful as him, but that doesn't mean I can't find a loophole. According to my calculations, the door can be reopened if a certain amount of dark energy is collected and properly focused. Further research has shown that those Digivices you and your friends carry are the perfect keys. All I need is to bring out enough dark energy - enough hate, jealousy, anger, and despair - to overwhelm seven pure spirits, such as, oh, say, the Digidestined. You seemed like the logical first choice."  
  
"You're insane! I'll never give in to darkness!" Ken shouted.  
  
"The darkness is already in you. You've used it before, and you'll do it again if I give you the  
right prompts."  
  
"Nothing doing," said Ken stubbornly.  
  
"Oh, really? You mean to say there's nothing that could ever make you lose your temper, or  
push you into self-doubt or hopelessness? What a very overconfident man you are," said  
Chiaromon.  
  
"The same could be said for some Digimon," Ken spat back.  
  
"Ah, yes. Speaking of Digimon," Chiaromon replied, "what does this little insect mean to you? Would it bother you if I hurt him?"   
  
Ken kept his mouth shut, aware that the creature was baiting him. It wasn't easy.  
  
*I'm sorry, Wormmon,* he thought.  
  
In the next instant, there was a shout and a sizzle of red lightning that just barely missed  
Wormmon's cage, and the little Digimon yelped in alarm.  
  
"No!" Ken shouted. "Stop it! Don't hurt him!"  
  
Chiaromon smiled nastily. "Try and stop me."  
  
"Gladly." Ken had had enough of this place; he was ready to do just about anything to get  
away from this madmon. He held up his Digivice. "Wormmon, digivolve!"  
  
There was a flash of light and a shimmer of energy, and then... nothing. Wormmon just sat in  
his cage, looking confused. Chiaromon grinned.  
  
"What's going on?" asked Ken, though he was getting a sinking feeling that he already knew.  
  
"My, my. Your memory really must be short, if you haven't figured that out by now," said  
Chiaromon. "Or can you really not have noticed what's right in front of your face? Can't see the  
cage for the bars, Ichijouji?"  
  
Ken's eyes went wide as he realized just why the bars looked and felt so familiar. "The  
Spires... this cage is made of the same substance as my... as the Control Spires!"  
  
Chiaromon applauded. "Very good! I knew you'd figure it out. This is, of course, something of an improvement on your old design. Not as good for controlling large areas, but more than  
sufficient to break up the connection between you and your little friend there. No, there'll be no  
digivolving in here. He's not very impressive as a Rookie, is he?"  
  
"On the whole, I like him a lot more than I like you," said Ken. "At least he's not afraid to face someone in a fair fight."  
  
"It's not a fight I want, Ichijouji," Chiaromon replied. "It's you. Your soul. Now, the choice is  
very simple: you can give in to me now and agree to do as I want, or you can watch me torture  
that little creature to death three feet away from you, and let Ithat/I drive you to despair and madness. Which would you prefer?"  
  
"You're a monster!" Ken screamed, throwing himself at the bars of his cage.  
  
Chiaromon laughed. "See? It starts already. It's so easy to manipulate you humans. I could  
learn to enjoy this. I'll give you a little time to stew over the situation. Hopefully you'll make this  
easy on both of us."  
  
The Digimon strutted away, laughing, and Ken had no choice but to break down and sob.  
Wormmon tried to comfort him, but the words were already beginning to sound far away, as  
darkness began to creep slowly into Ken's mind.  
  
******************************************************  
  
They had no way of knowing it, but the Ichijouji children appeared in the forest not far away  
from where Ken had been captured. It was just as dark and gloomy as it had been when he had  
passed through, and the children didn't care for it at all.  
  
"Is all of the Digital World this spooky?" asked Natte.  
  
"I hope not." Kaze's cowardly caterpillar was surveying the terrain from a safe spot under his  
partner's jacket.  
  
"It isn't," said Kaiya firmly, watching her own partner fidget; the woods were too dim for him  
to be able to see with his shades on, and it was annoying him. "Most of it is pretty; I don't know  
how we wound up here."  
  
"Well, let's find one of the better places," said Kaze. "All these trees are going to get boring  
real fast."  
  
"This is boring?" asked Crawler. "I don't want to see what you'd call scary, then."  
  
Kaiya was checking her Digivice signal. "Still no sign of Dad. No Digidestined at all, as far as I can tell. Nothing interesting at all."  
  
"What about this?" asked Natte, holding up his own Digivice. His was showing the faintest  
blip off in a corner. "This looks interesting."  
  
"Huh?" Kaze stared at his own device. He shook it and looked again. Now his was picking up the signal, faint, but growing stronger even as they watched. "How come he gets to find  
something first?"  
  
"Because Natte pays attention to things," said Kaiya distractedly. "Do you think this could be Dad? And how come nobody could see him a minute ago?"  
  
"Who knows anything about anything about the DigiWorld?" answered Wingblade. "And are  
you going to hang around all day, or are you going to maybe do something about this?"  
  
"Well, it's the only lead we've got," said Kaiya. "I say we follow it. What do you two think?"  
  
Kaze gave a half-shrug. "Better that than just wandering around, I guess."  
  
"I want to find Daddy," said Natte. Kaze gave a snort at that, but everyone ignored him. They checked their bearings to make sure their signals were all in alignment, and, keeping close  
together, they set out.  
  
Hiking through the forest of the Digital World was an experience. Having spent very little time in the DigiWorld before, they weren't used to the great outdoors. Natte tripped and stumbled on his short legs as he tried to keep up with his older siblings, once nearly squashing Crawler. Kaze had snickered about that until he'd fallen over a Gotsumon napping beneath a bush, an accident that had given everyone a fright. Kaiya squeaked loudly, and then ordered everyone to be quiet, while Larva had apologized profusely to the annoyed Gotsumon. Yet despite the setbacks, they managed to make progress. Very soon, they became aware of a voice up ahead of them - no, two voices, both deep and male. Kaiya shushed her brothers and the 'mons as they tiptoed closer.  
  
"Do you really think he'll let you have any power at all once he comes into control?" one voice was asking. It sounded dry and tired, as if it barely had the energy to argue.  
  
"It's inevitable," said the other voice. This one was stronger, with an edge of pride to it. "I've  
always been warden of the Powers of Darkness. His rise to power can't help but help me."  
  
"If he's willing to share power with you at all," said the first voice. "This isn't Myotismon we're talking about anymore."  
  
"Ah, yes, you would know about him, wouldn't you?" the proud voice sneered.  
  
The children had crept close enough to see who was talking, and they were just able to stifle  
gasps of surprise. Standing among the trees were two people, but not two men. One seemed an  
ordinary human sort, but they didn't let that deceive them; they knew only Digidestined humans  
were allowed past the borders of the Digital World. Anyone else was not what they seemed, so  
the children could be forgiven for looking on this man with suspicion. He had very pale skin, very dark eyes, and silvering black hair that hung lankly around his face. He was dressed in white robes worn beneath a black cloak, and a nimbus of pale purple light surrounded him. That was strange enough, but his companion was enough to give them chills. A frightening mutation of a human, it had a skull-like face, a fanged mouth, the horns of a bull, two disproportionately long arms, wickedly clawed hands, and ragged bat's wings. Its eyes held a red light that reflected nothing gentle or sane.  
  
"Devimon?" Larva whispered. Several people shushed him.  
  
"Who's that with him?" asked Kaiya.  
  
"No one I know," Wingblade replied. "Definitely not one of Gennai's crew, that's for sure. Not a proper human, either, or he'd have a Digimon with him."  
  
"He's no one good," said Crawler.  
  
"What I know about Myotismon is none of your concern," said the pale man. "He's dead once and for all. We must concern ourselves with the living."  
  
"The living are hardly your concern," said Devimon.  
  
"They are entirely my concern," the pale man replied. "Particularly this one survivor. He's not  
what you think he is, Devimon. It's in both our best interests if you avoid him. You don't want to  
wind up dead again, do you? I know how hard it has been to recover your powers. Angemon took a lot out of you, didn't he?"  
  
"Don't press me. You're a little lacking in power yourself, I could observe," Devimon snapped. "I will make my own decisions, old man. I happen to know a few things you don't, for all you think you're so clever. Furthermore, I am bound to serve the lord of demons whether it's in my best interest or not."  
  
"You'll regret it," said the pale man, but he didn't sound very sure of it. Devimon caught the  
tone and smirked.  
  
"As if you could stop me from doing anything," he said, "much less the lord of demons. Even  
when you were at full power, you had nothing against him."  
  
"True," the pale man sighed, "but I did at least hope you would listen to reason."  
  
"Reason is an aspect of Light," said Devimon. "You've been weakened. I see there's no use  
talking to you. I'm off. You won't bother me again if you know what's good for you."  
  
With that, the demon Digimon spread his wings and leaped into the air, slashing through the  
trees and bringing down a shower of leaves and twigs. The pale man watched him impassively,  
then dropped to the ground with a sigh of pure exhaustion. The violet light around him seemed to waver, and for a moment the children thought they could almost see right through him. Then his eyes snapped up and locked on them, piercing their thin cover, and there was no doubt that there was a powerful presence behind those eyes.  
  
"You might as well come out," he said. "You'll find I'm very difficult to hide from."  
  
The children hesitated. Then Kaze stepped out from behind the bushes, carrying Lava with  
him. There wasn't much choice but for Kaiya, Natte, and their Digimon to follow. They huddled  
together, watching the pale man with varying degrees of suspicion, fear, and defiance. He stood  
up and looked them over, sizing them up.  
  
"You'll be Ichijouji's children," he said. He stared at them again, and a glimmer of surprise  
crept into his expression. "Well, after a manner of speaking."  
  
Kaze looked shocked, and the others looked from him to the man in confusion.  
  
"Well, I see that's one secret that remains under wraps," said the pale man. "I won't disturb it. It would probably disrupt things even more right now than they are already."  
  
"What do you mean?" asked Kaiya. "What's going on? Who are you? How do you know my dad? Do you know who he is?"  
  
"So many questions," the man sighed. "I will try to answer what I can. The most unimportant  
first. I am Maro. You can call me that, for now. I am... well, think of me as a warden of sorts. I  
watch everything that goes on in the Digital World. Lately it has come to my attention that a great evil is rising, a creature called Chiaromon, who styles himself Prince. It is he who has taken your father. He will not be the last."  
  
"Where is he?" Kaze demanded. "Tell me where my father is, or I'll-"  
  
"You won't," Maro replied. Instead of explaining that remark further, he reached over to the  
nearest tree and put his hand through it, ghostlike. The children's eyes widened. "I am present as a spirit only. I don't think you can hurt me. As for where your father is, I really don't know.  
Chiaromon has many dark talents. Hiding things is one of them."  
  
"Don't listen to him. You can't trust him," said Kaira. "You can't trust anyone who's on friendly terms with a Devimon."  
  
"Friendly," Maro repeated. "Wouldn't that be a surprise? No, he's no friend of mine. He isn't a very powerful demon, and he'll listen to me from time to time if I'm persuasive enough, but even I wouldn't try to persuade Devimon of anything unless I was desperate. I fear the powers of evil as much as any sane person. Maybe more."   
  
The children stared at him, trying to fathom his motives. Natte was the first to speak.  
  
"I think we can trust him," he said. "He doesn't look that bad to me."  
  
Kaiya nodded silently. From a distance, the pale man had been frightening, but a look into his eyes showed something else. Whoever this man was, he had seen levels of pain and longing and joy that were alien to a creature so innocent as a child, things Kaiya, standing on the edge of adulthood, was just coming to understand. This man wouldn't betray them; she wasn't even sure he had that capability.  
  
"I won't harm you," said Maro, echoing her thoughts. "I can't. As Devimon said, my power is very limited. You will always be stronger than I am. If you let me, though, I can be a good friend. You'll need friends in the future."  
  
"What do you mean?" Kaiya asked.  
  
"A war is beginning," Maro replied, "and you, as Digidestined and children of Digidestined,  
will be caught in the thick of it. Before it's too late, gather others to your side. Beware of the  
powers of darkness, and do not give into temptation. Chiaromon will try to win you over, offer  
you everything your can wish for, your heart's most desperate desires. If you give in to him, you  
will be lost, and so will the world."  
  
"What do you mean?" asked Kaze.  
  
Maro turned his penetrating gaze on him, and Kaze, for once, quailed.  
  
"Be aware of what it is you want," Maro said. "It may not be what you think it is. My advice  
to you is to learn forgiveness. As for the rest of you... I can't see the future. If I could, this would all be much easier. The best I can tell you is to be on guard. Look for the others - don't let Chiaromon get to them before you do. Warn people. That is all I can say."  
  
"Wait, what about...?"  
  
Kaiya never got a chance to finish her question. The pale man had simply melted into the  
scenery, leaving her staring angrily at an innocent tree.  
  
"That was strange," said Kaze. "Did anyone else get the feeling there's more than he's telling  
us?"  
  
"I've got more than a feeling," said Kaiya. "Anyone who doesn't give his right name is trouble."  
  
Maro. The name meant, "myself." With that little information to go on, it was hard to  
be trusting.  
  
********************************************************  
  
The torch had burned down and become cold before Ken managed to get a grip on himself.  
Crying was useless; it would only make him feel worse, and that was the one thing he couldn't  
afford to do. He had to keep himself fortified against despair, or it would take him. He  
could handle that. He had faced darkness before and won it out. All it would take was a little  
concentration to force himself to keep his mind set on hope. He had worked all that out in his  
mind as he dried his tears and curbed his sniffles. As he did so, he let his eyes, closed in the face  
of the overwhelming darkness, flutter open.   
  
He yelped, for there in the shadows were a pair of blue lights. They were moving, keeping a  
set distance from each other and staying the same general height from the ground, bobbing  
slightly. They were eyes, and someone was walking toward him.  
  
"Who's there?" Ken demanded. He was pleased that his voice sounded steadier than it was.  
  
"Only a humble servant," came the reply. The voice was male, a rather pleasant tenor, well  
modulated but a little quavering, as if the speaker were nervous about being alone down there in  
the dark.  
  
"Come out and show yourself, then," Ken replied. "Or are you afraid to face me?"  
  
He thought the final words might goad the speaker into acting, but instead, whoever it was  
cringed away.  
  
*Interesting,* Ken thought, as he listened to the stranger fumbling around for  
something to light a torch with. There was a faint reddish spark and the crackle of a fire being  
struck, and a flame began burning merrily in a nearby sconce, giving Ken a clear view of the  
newcomer.  
  
Used to encountering mainly beastlike Digimon, Ken had been expecting to see something  
along the lines of a large talking animal, or at least hoping not to see another humanoid type like  
Chiaromon. However, it seemed that fate wanted to deal him a double blow, for this being was  
definitely humanoid - it was the same creature that had enchanted him in the magical glen. Now,  
though, his brain was processing the details he should have seen earlier: the brightly colored and  
oddly cut clothing, the trailing ribbons, the crossed wands strapped to his back, the harlequin mask covering a pale face. There was only one Digimon in the world that looked like that. Ken felt his stomach sink. Could things get any worse?  
  
"Piedmon," he whispered.  
  
The Digimon shrieked. It dropped the plate it had been carrying with a loud crash and  
jumped into the nearest shadow, where it sat whimpering incoherently, peering out with its  
intensely blue eyes. Then it seemed to realize something and let out a sigh of relief.  
  
"Don't scare me like that!" it said plaintively.  
  
Ken was stunned. "What did I do?"  
  
"You said that name."  
  
"What? Piedmon?"  
  
The creature squeaked again and cringed. Involuntarily, Ken found himself smiling.  
  
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. I won't say it again," he said soothingly. The creature looked up  
at him piteously.  
  
"You promise?" it asked.  
  
"Cross my heart," Ken replied. "What are you doing down here, anyway? And who are  
you? You don't seem like the sort to be hanging around a place like this."  
  
"I don't, do I?" the creature sighed. "My master told me to leave you alone, but when he  
started talking about what he wanted to do, I just felt so sorry for you, and I wondered... you  
wouldn't happen to be hungry, would you?"  
  
The creature looked at him beseechingly, and Ken didn't have the heart to refuse. This  
Digimon, whatever it was, clearly needed comforting more than he did.  
  
"I could do with a snack," he said.  
  
"Oh, good," the 'mon replied, beaming. "The plate's broken, but the food is still clean.  
See?"   
  
It crouched briefly and picked up two slices of bread and jam from where they had fallen  
and offered them to Ken, who accepted them gracefully, reaching through the bars of his cage to offer one to Wormmon. Then he bit into his own. The bread was slightly stale, and the jam was not jam at all, but just berries that had been mashed until they were spreadable, slightly sour.  
  
"Is it all right?" asked the 'mon anxiously. "Master doesn't eat much, so I had to make do  
with what I could find."  
  
"It's delicious," said Ken, and the strange 'mon positively glowed.  
  
"Thank you," he said happily. "You are kind."  
  
"I try," said Ken. "So, you haven't told me who you are yet. You obviously don't like  
being called... that name. What are you called?"  
  
"Nothing in particular," said the creature with a shrug. "Just 'hey, you,' mostly.  
Occasionally, 'you lazy good-for-nothing.' The usual things. Do you want to hear my story?" The last question was asked with a peculiar excitement, in contrast to the mournful tone he had used for the rest of the monologue.  
  
"Yes, please," said Ken, sensing he was about to hear something interesting.  
  
The 'mon smiled again and went to sit next to Ken's cage. Now that they were eye to eye  
with each other, Ken was beginning to feel that he never should have confused this creature with  
Piedmon. The general shape was there, but there were distinct subtle differences: the cool blues  
and purples of his clothing in contrast to Piedmon's garish red, green, and yellow; long locks of  
purple hair where the elaborate yellow headpiece should have been; wands in place of swords; and above all, the absolute innocence of his luminous blue eyes. Ken had never seen anything so blue, like the westward sky just after sunset, just before true darkness set in, vivid and glowing. No wonder they glowed in the dark!  
  
"Once upon a time," the clown began, "my master, Chiaromon, was beginning his rise to  
power, seeking to set himself as a prince greater than any who had come before him. He knew  
that in this quest for power, he would need powerful allies, the likes of which no longer existed in the Digital World, for the last great powers of darkness had been slain or driven away by the  
Digidestined children. History tells us that the greatest Digimon ever to hold sway over the world was the master of the Dark Masters who ruled over Spiral Mountain. Chiaromon wanted such power for himself, but he was only an Ultimate Digimon, and would never be able to control such a powerful Mega Virus. Instead, he used knowledge of DNA and data manipulation to create me, a mutant version of the being he wished to copy, just as powerful but easier to control. Unfortunately, his experiment didn't go as he'd expected. What he got was a pure Vaccine Digimon - powerful, yes, but without the drive to use that power. Chiaromon was furious; he had wanted a deadly warrior, and instead he got a peace-loving creature that couldn't stand to cause harm to anyone. He tried to destroy me, but as my power exceeds his own, he could work no harm upon me. Loath to let me wander on my own to let the whole world see his failure, he ordered me to remain within his palace and work as his servant. Thus am I bound to serve as a drudge to Prince Chiaromon."  
  
Ken was listening silently, caught up in the story. If there was one thing that could be said  
for this creature, it knew how to tell a tale. His hands never stopped moving, carving shapes into  
the air until Ken thought he could almost see what was happening. His intense eyes held Ken's,  
keeping him from even thinking about anything else. He had eaten his bread without thinking  
about it and swallowed a seed along with the jam.  
  
"The truth is," the mutant finished mournfully, "I'm an abysmal coward. Everything  
frightens me, and the one thing that terrifies me most is P-P-Piedmon himself." He stumbled over the name with difficulty. "There! You see? I can hardly say the name. I'm afraid of my own  
shadow, because it looks so much like him. I've had a premonition since the day I heard  
my own story that someday he and I will meet, and I'll be destroyed. How can I not be, when I  
can't even fight back?"  
  
"But you said you were just as powerful as he is," said Ken.  
  
"Well, I think I am," the mutant replied. "It's hard to know for sure. I know I'm  
very hard to hurt - nobody's ever done it yet, and Harmonious Ones know but they've tried. Not even Chiaromon can do more that scratch me. It's my job to keep him contained when he... well, never mind about that. But the point is, I can't ever fight back. Just watch."  
  
He took the two wands from his back and raised them over his head, swinging them down  
in a pair of wide arcs.  
  
"Sorcerer's Circle!" he shouted. Nothing happened. The wands struck each other,  
the twin crystals at their tip striking sparks as they clashed, but that was it.  
  
"I see what you mean," said Ken.  
  
The mutant sighed deeply. "I don't mind much. I'm afraid of hurting people, too. I would  
feel just awful if I could use my magic, because Chiaromon would just make me go out and - and - and fight people with it!"  
  
"If you could use your magic, couldn't you stand up to Chiaromon?" Ken asked. "If  
you're a Mega and he's just an Ultimate..."  
  
"I couldn't!" said the mutant with a shudder. "Stand up to Prince Chiaromon? It's just not  
done! I mean, it's not in my nature. He designed me to obey him, remember?"  
  
"Oh, that's right," said Ken. "Too bad. You're too nice to be stuck working for a chump  
like him."  
  
"You're too kind," the creature answered, blushing brightly behind his mask.  
  
"Looks like we're all a little stuck," Ken murmured, half to himself. "There's nothing you  
can do for me, and I can't think of anything I could do for you..."  
  
"Well," said the mutant shyly, "there is one thing."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
The mutant looked at Ken with pleading, childlike eyes. "Tell me a story?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"A story!" the mutant repeated. "I do love a good story. They're the only bright things in  
my life."  
  
Ken recalled the rapt fascination he'd listened with earlier and nodded. "I noticed. You're  
a wonderful storyteller."  
  
The Digimon blushed even brighter red, hanging its head bashfully. "You think so? Really?  
You wouldn't just be saying that, would you?"  
  
"The best I've ever heard," Ken replied.  
  
"Oh... thank you!" the creature gushed. Ken stared - yes, the mutant was definitely crying  
now. "That - that - that's the kindest thing anyone's ever said to me in - in all my life!" He pulled  
a purple silk handkerchief from his sleeve and dabbed at his eyes.  
  
"Pull yourself together," Ken urged. "You really are sensitive, aren't you?" The mutant  
nodded timidly. "Well, don't look so ashamed of it. It's a good thing. It means you have a caring  
heart. I'm glad to have met you... I really don't think I know any stories, though. I never had  
much time for stories when I was young."  
  
"Everyone has a story," said the mutant. "I told you mine. Just say 'Once upon a time,'  
and tell me about yourself."  
  
"I could do that," said Ken slowly. He stared off into the shadows, his eyes growing  
distant as he let the past come back to him. "All right. Once upon a time, there was a little boy  
named Ken Ichijouji, who lived with his brother Osamu. Osamu was his parent's favorite child,  
and he always got all the attention, and even though Ken loved him, he was always just a little bit jealous..."  
  
Ken didn't know how long he spent talking, reliving his life for the sake of a lonely clown  
monster in a dark basement. It was a painful process, though made better by years of separation, and at least he had a good audience. The mutant never took his luminous eyes off of Ken's, hardly even blinked, and he gasped, cried, and cheered in all the right places. He bawled so hard at the part of the story when Wormmon died that Ken had to pause several minutes for him to collect himself again. When it was all over, though, the clown sat back with a long, satisfied sigh.  
  
"That was amazing," he said softly. "Absolutely amazing. Do I have your permission to  
tell it again?"  
  
"Be my guest," Ken replied. He realized that it had already been given as soon as he had  
agreed to tell the story at all. "Somehow, I feel like I can trust you not to tell it at the wrong time  
to the wrong people."  
  
"Yes... yes... you've trusted me with a lot, haven't you?" said the mutant thoughtfully. "I  
should do something to repay you. Do you want out of the cage?"  
  
"What?" The question was so sudden and unexpected that Ken wasn't sure he'd heard  
right.  
  
"I could let you out. You'll have to help me cover my tracks, though," said the clown. "My  
master would be terribly unhappy with me if he thought I'd betrayed him."  
  
"You'd betray Chiaromon just because I told you a story?" asked Ken. "And this from the  
man who says he's an abysmal coward."  
  
The creature blushed again. "You shared your heart with me. That's worth a lot. Stand  
back."  
  
Ken did as he was told, watching as the clown Digimon took one of the wands and tapped  
the door of his cage with it. There was a soft click, and it swung open. Then he did the same for  
Wormmon's cage, and the caterpillar sprang out of it and ran to Ken, who scooped him up and  
hugged him. The sentimental reunion sent the mutant crying again, and Ken gave him a tissue,  
which only seemed to make him cry more. It took a moment to get everyone organized.  
  
"Break the locks, please," said the mutant, hiding the damp tissue up his sleeve.  
"Chiaromon knows I can do the unlocking charm, or could blow up the cages if I get angry  
enough, but I couldn't break the lock on my own."  
  
"Not a problem, if Wormmon can Digivolve," Ken replied. "Give it a try."  
  
"Right," Wormmon replied. "Wormmon, digivolve to... Stingmon!"  
  
The clown jumped back into the shadows with a startled cry, staring with eyes that seemed  
to have doubled in size at the sight of the great wasp-creature. Stingmon made short work of the locks, reducing them to piles of chipped stone.  
  
"It's a shame we can't destroy the cages," he said. "I'd hate to see them used again on  
someone else."  
  
"Chiaromon would just make more, anyway," said Ken philosophically. "Thanks for  
everything, um... whatever you call yourself. I'll never forget your kindness."  
  
"Nor I yours," the mutant replied graciously, though he continued eyeing Stingmon with  
distrust. "You'll find the way out just up those stairs - it's not hard to get to the exit. Good luck,  
Ken Ichijouji. I hope we see each other again someday, under better circumstances."  
  
"Good luck to you too," Ken replied. "Take my advice and find some way of getting  
away from Chiaromon. You're too good for him. Goodbye!"  
  
He leaped onto Stingmon's back and flew away. The mutant watched him sadly, quiet  
tears slipping unnoticed behind his mask as he realized he'd just lost his first and only friend.  
  
**********************************************  
  
Wingblade was watching his partner with concern - not the full-blown worry that came  
with something important, like the time her first boyfriend had dumped her for a blonde  
cheerleader who smiled a lot, or the time Kaze had dropped her take-home exam down the  
garbage chute, but the concern that meant she was being pushed slowly toward the breaking point and it was only a matter of time before she exploded at someone.  
  
"Can we go home yet?" asked Kaze.   
  
"My feet hurt," Natte whimpered.  
  
Kaiya gritted her teeth and bore the complaints silently, but there was a glimmer in her  
eyes that meant the silence was only the calm before the storm. Having lost the only lead  
they had, they had taken to just wandering the countryside, looking for any sign that a human  
had been by recently. It was clearly futile, but Kaiya's stubborn streak was as great as her  
mother's, and she was not giving up withough a fight, no matter how much her brothers  
complained. Wingblade knew his first duty was to protect his partner, but he was beginning to  
think that he might be needing to protect Kaze and Natte before long. He looked around for  
something to distract her, and his sharp eyes fell on the D-3 that she carried distractedly in her  
hand.  
  
"Is that a signal?" he asked.  
  
"Huh?" The children reached for their Digivices and checked; sure enough, there was a  
blip moving rapidly across the screen.  
  
"What is it?" asked Crawler, peeking over his partner's shoulder.  
  
"Is it Dad?" asked Kaze, surprised out of his sullenness.  
  
"I don't know," Kaiya replied, "but it looks like it's coming straight toward us!  
Wingblade, can you get up there and get take a look?"  
  
"Could be interesting," Wingblade replied. He adjusted his sunglasses, trying to look as if  
he were only casually curious, and then shot up into the sky like a feathery rocket. The children  
and the remaining 'mons waited in a nervous huddle. A minute ticked by, then five, then ten, then fifteen, and hope became a painful tension. Kaiya fidgeted; if the signal they'd picked up had been something dangerous, and if she had sent her partner off to face it...  
  
There was a sudden crashing above them, and leaves and twigs rained down as something  
fell out of the sky. It was indeed something dangerous, but luckily, it was on their side. It was  
Stingmon, with Ken and Wingblade riding proudly on his shoulders. As soon as the wasp touched down, Ken leapt to the ground and looked around.  
  
"Daddy!" "Dad!" There was a clamor of voices, and Ken found himself being mobbed by  
children. Laughing, he threw open his arms to hug them all.  
  
"What are you doing here?" he asked.  
  
"Where have you been?" asked Kaiya.  
  
"We were looking for you," Natte said. "What happened to you? Why couldn't we find  
you?"  
  
"I was kidnaped," said Ken. "Though it could have been worse. It's been before. Next to  
being nabbed by Oikawa, this was nothing."  
  
"So that business about Chiaromon... that wasn't for real?" asked Larva.  
  
Ken's expression turned shocked. "Where did you hear that name?"  
  
"We... met someone while we were looking for you," said Kaiya carefully. "He said that  
you'd been imprisoned by someone called Chiaromon. We weren't sure we could trust him."  
  
"Well, he had that much straight," Ken replied. "I've met Chiaromon, and he's definitely  
trouble. This isn't the place to talk about it. Come on, let's go find a gate home."  
  
A few minutes later, Miyako was just trying to think of somewhere else she could call,  
when she was startled by a loud thump coming from her living room. She opened the door of her room and looked out just in time to see Ken and the children picking themselves up off the carpet and dusting themselves off.  
  
"Ken?" she exclaimed.  
  
Ken offered her a wry smile. "Hi, honey, I'm home!"  
  
Miyako rushed at him and hugged him, getting a smile from her former husband and a  
confused look from Kaze. "I've been so worried about you! Where have you been?"  
  
"Just got a little held up in the Digital World," Ken replied. "I'll explain it all in a little  
while... I think the others should hear about this."  
  
"Is it that serious?" asked Miyako.  
  
"It looks that way," Ken replied. "We've definitely got a new enemy again. Excuse us,  
kids. We need to talk for a while." The two of them slipped out of the living room, heading back  
to Miyako's room. The children looked at each other.  
  
"So much for Mom and Dad hating each other," said Kaiya.  
  
Kaze looked as if he'd bitten a lemon, but declined to comment.  
  
"Glad Daddy's all right," said Natte. "He and Mom will make the monsters go away,  
right?"  
  
"Maybe not," said Kaiya thoughtfully. "Maro didn't say anything about Mom and Dad.  
He said it would be us doing the fighting... us and others like us."  
  
"So what does that mean?" asked Kaze, interested in spite of himself.  
  
"It means," Kaiya replied, "we have to look for the others." 


	2. The Angel in Mourning

_Author's Notes: You asked for it and you got it - another installment! But first, a few warnings, so you don't get lost or (too) startled after you've gone on a ways. I'm playing around with Digimon's future in the way that best suits me, so anything goes, and anything will. For starters, I've given Mimi a daughter instead of a son (not that it's done her a lot of good, as you'll see). And yes, Ken and Miyako are divorced, and I have no plans to get them together again. Sorry, I know a few of you have asked for that, but it's just in the agenda. Suffice it to say, they have good reasons for what they did, and those will be revealed as the story progresses. Further warnings: this story's not ending happily for everyone. Some people are probably going to die. If you can't handle that, back out now. Also, there's going to be crossbreeding (humans romantically involved with Digimon) in this story. If this bothers you, well, see note above. If anyone's still with me, on with the show!_

**The Angel in Mourning   
By: SilvorMoon**

Jyou frowned down at the telephone. 

"She did what?" he repeated. 

"She's disappeared!" Mimi wailed. Jyou was familiar enough with his old friend to know when she was crying, and it sounded like she was on the verge of all-out hysterics. "She said she was going out to play with some of her friends, and she hasn't come home!" 

"She's probably just lost track of time," said Jyou soothingly. "Give her a little more time. I'm sure she'll turn up." 

"But it's the middle of the night! She would have come home by now!" 

"Oh," said Jyou, blushing. He'd forgotten there was a difference in times from Japan to the USA. "You're right. That does sound like a problem. Have you called the police?" 

"They won't do anything. A person's not considered missing until they've been gone twenty-four hours. By then, it might already be too late..." 

"Don't panic," said Jyou. "Just try to stay calm - you aren't going to do anyone any good if you're having fits. Mary's a tough kid. She can take care of herself." Jyou wasn't just saying the words; he meant them. He hadn't seen Mimi's daughter since she was a small child, but even then, she'd radiated the kind of self-confidence and cleverness that made him think that anyone ought to think twice about messing with the full-grown version. He had heard, and been surprised, that Mary had taken up football and kickboxing and excelled at both of them - not things he would have expected of Mimi's offspring, but impressive nonetheless. 

There was sniffling on the other end of the line. "You're right. She's got her Digimon with her. They can protect each other... wherever they are." 

"Right. Just keep that in mind and hang tight. Mary will be home soon," said Jyou. "And if she's not, well, we'll find her, even if Ken has to hop on his Stingmon and fly over there to look for her!" 

"You think so?" said Mimi, sounding a bit brighter. 

"I'm sure of it," Jyou replied. 

"Thanks, Jyou. I knew you would have something helpful to say." 

"Welcome," Jyou replied. He offered a few more words of doctorly advice involving Mimi trying to calm herself down, and then said goodbye and hung up. 

"What was that all about?" asked Gomamon, looking up at his partner expectantly. 

"Mimi's daughter's gone missing," Jyou replied. "I tried to encourage Mimi, but... I don't know. New York's a tough city, worse than Tokyo by a long shot. If she's lost there somewhere... I just don't know." 

"She'll be okay," said Gomamon, ever optimistic. "It's just like you said - she'll find her way home, or Ken can go look for her. He's a detective; he can find anyone." 

Jyou nodded absently, thinking. Ken... he'd disappeared a couple of days ago and turned up in the Digital World, held captive by some strange creature called Chiaromon. Following the hunch, Jyou tried to call Taichi, and found the line to be busy. Scowling, he considered a moment, and then called Yamato. The phone rang once, twice... and was picked up. 

"Hello?" said the voice on the other end. 

"Yamato, this is Jyou. Have you heard?" 

"Heard about what?" asked Yamato. 

"Mimi's daughter. She's missing - just dropped off the face of the earth." 

"That could be bad," Yamato mused. "Though it might not be. We did it, and we came out okay." 

"Yeah, in the Digital World. That's why I'm calling." 

"Well, explain yourself, then, because so far, you haven't made any sense at all." 

"Okay," said Jyou, taking a deep breath. "You remember how Ken got picked up by that Chiaromon character? He escaped okay, but what if Chiaromon decided hunting adult Digidestined is too much trouble, and decided to nab a kid instead? It would be a smart move. Kids disappear all the time in big cities. No one would be able to trace her. If what I heard was true, Chiaromon has ways of blocking out a Digivice signal, so we'd never know where to find her." 

"Good point." Jyou could almost hear the wheels turning in Yamato's brain as he mused over the possibilities. "Do you want to go, then?" 

"Go? Go where?" 

"To the Digital World. Where else? If nothing else, someone ought to get a good look at this Chiaromon guy and take his measure, see if we can figure out what he's doing." 

"Well..." 

"Come on, Jyou! I'm not saying we should charge into a battle. I'm just suggesting going in and having a look. It can't hurt," said Yamato persuasively. "We'll leave as soon as it looks like trouble." 

"Well... sure, okay. As long as you promise we'll get out as soon as there's danger." 

"Fine. Just one little thing," said Yamato. 

"What?" 

"Well, Sora took Aiko shopping, and knowing those two, they'll be gone for hours. If I'm leaving, I'll need someone to look after Kata for me. Do you think your son could...?" 

Jyou frowned again. "I don't know. Oki's not much of the babysitting type." 

"Kata's not a baby," said Yamato, sounding indignant. "He's almost as old as Oki is. I just don't feel right leaving him all alone. Really, he's no trouble at all - Oki will hardly know he's there." 

"All right then," said Jyou, relenting. He never was much good at winning arguments. "That's the kind of people Oki likes best - the ones who leave him alone." 

"Great. Come on over to my place, then. Knowing Kata, we won't be able to pry him out of his room. He's going through one of those phases, I think." 

Moments later, Oki heard the creak of his door opening, and his father peered into the room. Oki looked up from the book he was reading - a science fiction novel, Jyou noted, the cover depicting the valiant young hero holding a sword of glowing light, facing off with some hideous green slime monster. Jyou wondered what it was that drew his son to things like that. 

"Oki?" he said. "I need to ask you a favor..." 

~*~

The mutant lurked nervously in the hallway outside his master's throne room, waiting. What he was waiting for, he wasn't precisely certain, knowing only that he wanted to know a little more about the state of things before he entered Chiaromon's presence. Unless he was summoned, it was a risky thing to walk in on the prince without properly gauging the situation first. At length, one of the servants, a pale and withered Vegimon, came wandering down the hall. 

"Um, excuse me," said the mutant. 

"Hm?" The Vegimon looked up, startled, and then relaxed. "Oh, it's just you. Can I help you with anything?" 

"What is the master's mood at the moment?" the mutant asked, relaxing a little himself. Most of Chiaromon's servants were nasty sorts, serving him of their own choice, rather than spell- bindings or coercion. However, all of them knew the shy clown was harmless and occasionally useful. He listened to them with respect, and they treated him rather better than they would have anyone else. 

"He is quiet," the Vegimon replied. "Almost happy. If you have something to say to him, now would be the time." 

"Thank you," answered the mutant. "I'm afraid I have rather bad news for him." 

The Vegimon shrugged. "You'll handle it. You always do." 

"Yes," said the mutant, almost sadly. "I seldom enjoy it, though." 

The Vegimon shrugged again and ambled down the hallway. The mutant sighed. Time to reap what he had sown. Squaring his shoulders and mustering what little nerve he had, he walked into Chiaromon's throne room. 

It was very dark inside, which was no surprise. Chiaromon didn't dislike light, but his pale blue eyes were supremely sensitive to it, and to be in full sunlight was agony for him. Shadows were another matter; he could find his way about in almost total darkness without tripping or stumbling. Thus, it was as much practicality as effect that had led him to design his inner sanctum to be as dark as possible and still make it possible for his servants to find their way in and out. The mutant didn't mind, as his eyes glowed in the dark, letting him find his way even in darkness that Chiaromon himself would have found impassible. There wasn't much to see, anyway, just the prince on his throne... and the paintings. The mutant's eyes strayed up to them, as they always did, before snapping back to his master. Chiaromon might take offense if he thought he was being ignored. To cover the lapse, the mutant dropped down to one knee, bowing gracefully, and Chiaromon smiled. The mutant heaved a small sigh of relief. His master must have been in a good mood, after all. 

"Rise," said Chiaromon, "and welcome. I was just thinking that I might enjoy a bit of company." 

"Thank you," the mutant answered. Chiaromon beckoned lazily, and the mutant took his cue and scurried to his place as the foot of the dias, kneeling at his master's right side. This was his place when the prince was in his good moods, and those came more often than some might have guessed. The mutant knew better than anyone that Chiaromon was possessed of a dual nature. At times, like now, he was calm, gracious, even pleasant. At other times... the mutant repressed a shudder. Chiaromon hadn't managed to hurt him yet, but that didn't mean he wouldn't someday. The thing that made the prince so dangerous was that his temper, once lost, would go utterly out of control, throwing him into a berserk rage. His very form would change, his blue eyes turning red, his mouth sprouting fangs, his nails lengthening into talons. In that state, he would wildly attack anything that got in his way, not stopping until his rage was spent. In the beginning, the rages hadn't lasted long, a few minutes at most, but every time they came upon him, the hold they took was greater and harder to shake. The mutant, having the powers of Mega, was the only one who could keep his master from destroying the castle and everyone in it... which unfortunately meant that he had to take the brunt of his master's anger himself. 

"So," said Chiaromon as his servant settled himself, "my great experiment has begun. Now we shall see, shall we not?" 

The mutant nodded obediently, but Chiaromon didn't appear to see him. He rose and began pacing back and forth across the dias his throne rested upon. His eyes were fixed on the paintings, flicking from one to the other, and the mutant copied his master. The two paintings had always fascinated him, and now he welcomed the chance to re-examine them. On the right, there hung the painting of an Angewomon, done full-length with her brilliant wings unfurled. The detail was incredible, so that one could almost swear her feathers and hair stirred in a breeze, and that the clouds around her moved in the warmth of the beams of light that shone around her. It was a strange thing to find in the palace of a self-proclaimed evil overlord, but there it was, given pride of place, with a soft spotlight beaming down on it to give it added luster. However, the painting that hung on the other side was another matter altogether. It was a portrait of a face not unlike Chiaromon's own, pale-skinned and arrogant, a man whose lips were twisted in a sneering smile, revealing glinting fangs. His hair was the same gold as Chiaromon's, his eyes the same blue, but it was different Digimon from another time, one who had died years ago. This was Myotismon, his image painted in bold, almost brutal strokes, the colors vivid even under the cold blue light that beamed on the painting. His eyes seemed to glitter with some hidden black joke; his fangs did much the same. Looking at it gave the mutant chills, and he turned his gaze back to the Angewomon. Chiaromon, however, seemed to enjoy looking at them equally. 

"Well?" he said, addressing the paintings. "What do you think? Which of you is going to win, hm? Light, or shadow?" 

There was a pause, much as if Chiaromon were expecting an answer. The mutant thought nothing of it; the prince often talked to the pictures as if they were alive. Perhaps, in some sense, they were. 

"Well," said Chiaromon again, this time with satisfaction, as if he'd received an answer, "we will see, won't we? You've been down there - how is the prisoner doing? Has he given up yet, or does he still stand strong? I would have thought he'd give up almost at once. He went to the dark side once, so you would think he would find going back easy." 

The mutant opened his mouth to give an answer, but his scant courage failed him. "When last I saw him, he was looking well. I don't think he'll give in easily." 

"You are hardly the expert on the subject," Chiaromon scoffed. "I, however, am. Let us go look in on him, to see how he fares." 

"That may be difficult, Highness," said the mutant. 

"And why might that be?" 

"Because," the mutant answered, "the prisoners have escaped. The locks are broken, and the prisoners are gone." 

There was a moment of silence, and the mutant waited, tensed for anything. For a moment, he dared to hope he was safe. Then he saw his master's eyes close, saw the shudder run through the prince's body, and the mutant's heart dropped into his boots. He braced himself. 

Chiaromon's eyes snapped open, flaring blood-red fire, and he sprang forward with a roar. The mutant leaped out of the way, letting his master fall to the floor in a tangle of wings. There was a flurry of white feathers as Chiaromon tried to twist himself upright; those mismatched wings had always been more of a hindrance than a help. He seldom used them when he was sane, unreliable as they were, but that made no difference to him now. Snarling and baring his fangs, he managed to flap clumsily into the air and turned on the mutant with malice written all over his face. 

"Celestial Lightning!" he shouted, and whips of pure white light sprouted from his hands to lash at the mutant, who stood impassively on the ground, his face screwed up in expectation of the pain. The lights struck him with eye-dazzling lights, and the mutant staggered and fell. Chiaromon dropped from the air, his wings giving out, and landed on all fours like an animal. He pounced on the fallen clown and they tumbled a few times, the prince slashing ineffectively at his lackey. The talons did nothing more than tear rips in the clown's silk clothing, and the mutant accepted the treatment blandly. That seemed to annoy Chiaromon; he got up and began kicking him. 

"Get up," he snarled. "Get up and fight back." 

Reluctantly, the mutant got up and drew his wands, holding them defensively before him. Chiaromon's mouth twisted into a smile that mirrored the one on the watching portrait of Myotismon. 

"Crimson Arrow!" he bellowed, lobbing a bolt of bloody light at the clown. The mutant flicked it away. The attack was repeated, with the same result, over and over, until the mutant sensed that his master was finally growing bored. With a look of resignation, he let his defenses drop, and the final arrow struck its target, throwing the mutant to the ground. Chiaromon sauntered over and looked down at him. The mutant whimpered. 

"Please, Master, have mercy," he begged. Chiaromon laughed and pressed his booted foot down on the mutant's head, pressing it into the stone floor. 

"That's right, beg!" he cackled. "Who is your master, slave? Say it, and maybe I'll let you go!" 

"You are, Prince Chiaromon. I am at your mercy," the mutant repeated. Even though his rational mind knew he was in no real danger, he was quaking all over. 

The show of fear and respect was enough to mollify the prince, and his eyes faded back to their proper color. He looked around in faint confusion, not quite sure what was going on. Then he looked down at his servant. 

"Are you all right?" he asked, his voice strangely gentle. 

"I'm fine," the mutant replied. "You really weren't so bad this time. Last time you took out a column." He nodded toward a heap of rubble in a far corner that had once been a supporting pillar. 

"Yes. This time I confined my attacks to a living thing," said Chiaromon solemnly. "Don't try to gloss things over. I'm getting worse, not better." 

The mutant kept silent. 

"Yes," said Chiarimon again. "Someday, I'm going to go over completely, am I not? I'm going to go over, and I'm not going to come back." He sighed. "Hopefully the end won't come until my experiment is finished. Perhaps..." His eyes strayed to the painting of the Angewomon. Then he shook his head. "Time will tell. It suits me either way. I only want to be sure." 

The mutant nodded. "Did you need me for anything else, Master?" 

"Not at the moment," Chiaromon replied. "Given time, perhaps. If my lab rats have escaped, I must capture new ones. I may do it myself, this time. It must give one a feeling of accomplishment, to select something by hand and mold it into what you'd have it be... Yes, that will be the best way. You are dismissed." 

The mutant bowed low and scurried off. Much as he hated to think on it, his master was right. One day, he was going to go completely out of control, and then it would be only the mutant standing between Chiaromon and the destruction of the world. 

*_Maybe then he'll kill me properly,_* the mutant thought, *_and then both our worries will be over._* 

~*~

Oki fidgeted, straightening his glasses and brushing his hair out of his eyes. Meeting people made him nervous. If there was one thing he hated, it was being in a situation he couldn't control, and there was no controlling or even predicting what unfamiliar people would do. His Digimon partner, a Gomamon named Nami, was trying to comfort him in his usual way, which mean climbing up onto Oki's shoulders to prop his chin on his head, disarranging his hair and throwing his glasses askew in the process. Oki glared at his partner and was rewarded by a wicked grin, and he sighed and began trying to put his hair back in order. He wore it long, much as his father had done in his teenage years, a quiet teenage rebellion. If he hadn't been doing it for a reason, he would have cut it short; not only was long hair trouble, but people often looked at Oki from afar, with his slight build and gentle features, and mistook him for a girl. 

Jyou rang the doorbell and had it answered almost at once. Yamato had obviously been waiting for them, appearing instantly to usher them inside. 

"Hey, Oki," he greeted. "So, Jyou, you ready to head out?" 

"I guess," Jyou replied. "Where's your son? Isn't he supposed to be around here somewhere?" 

"He's in his room. Don't worry, I told him what we're doing," Yamato replied. "Chances are, he won't come out until after we've come back. Like I said, he's a solitary sort." 

"Just like his dad," Jyou replied. "Well, if we're going to do this, we might as well get it over with. Mind the house, Oki. Don't let Nami take it apart." 

"I won't!" said the boy and his 'mon in unison. 

The men left, and a few moments later, Oki registered a flash of blue light coming from another room. Nami nodded, as if that was just what he'd been waiting for, before bouncing down off his partner's shoulders to start inspecting Yamato's living room. He bounced on the sofa cushions a few times and laughed his approval. 

"Nice pad," he commented. "Mr. Ishida's got good taste... and we've got the place all to ourselves! Way cool." 

"Not _all_ to ourselves," Oki corrected. "Kata's around here somewhere." 

"Who cares about the invisible boy?" asked Nami. "If he's not even going to come out of his hole in the wall, why should we worry about him?" 

"I don't know. I just think it's creepy to be in a house with someone I can't see," said Oki. "I'm going to go look for him and tell him we're here." 

"Betcha it doesn't do any good," said Nami, but he bounced along beside his partner just the same. 

Wandering through the apartment, Oki became aware of music playing somewhere, and he followed the sound to a closed door. Putting his ear to it yielded the sounds of singing; someone was listening to a song, but the singers weren't one Oki recognized. No matter; he'd never been much for keeping up with the latest pop idols. These people, he decided, were good enough to look into, though. He would ask Kata who they were once they'd established contact; it would give them something to talk about. He knocked on the door. 

The music stopped, and there was a rustling on the other side of the door, and the a twang and some muttering. The door opened. Standing before Oki was a redheaded boy, perhaps a year or two younger than Oki, holding a guitar and looking annoyed. In the background was a Gabumon, perched in front of a synthesizer keyboard. Oki stared as the realization sunk in that the music he'd been hearing had not been a recording, after all. 

"Are you Oki?" asked the redhead after a while. There was no mistaking that voice - he was definitely one of the singers. 

"Yeah. Are you Kata?" 

"I am," said the redhead stiffly. "Did you want to ask me something?" 

"Huh?" 

"I said, did you want to ask me something?" Kata repeated, as if talking to an idiot. "Because if you don't, you're interrupting my practice session." 

"Oh. Sorry," said Oki, looking abashed. "You sounded really good, though. I thought it was a recording, at first." 

That seemed to earn him some points; Kata became a degree less cold. He smiled a bit, in a way that said, "_Of course I'm that good._" Aloud, he commented, "You brought a Gomamon." 

"My partner," said Oki. "His name's Nami. I see you've got a Gabumon. What's his name." 

That smile again. "RB." 

"RB? What's that stand for?" 

Kata grinned. "Rhythm and blues!" 

"Ah," said Oki. "I should have known." 

"Hi!" said the Gabumon, waving. 

"Hi!" Nami called back, flipping a flipper. 

"I suppose now we're all acquainted, aren't we?" said Kata. 

"I suppose," Oki admitted. 

"Then you have what you came for. Goodbye." Kata shut the door. 

"What the...?" Oki spluttered. He couldn't quite believe it. How could anyone be so rude? Behind the door, there were muffled voice-sounds, as if Kata and RB were having a quiet argument. Then the voices subsided and the music began again. 

"Friendly sort," Nami commented. 

"You said it," said Oki. 

"Oh, well." Nami seemed to have already dismissed the incident. "You didn't want to be friends with him anyway. Come on, let's go raid the kitchen." 

The little Gomamon bounded away, and Oki followed behind, thoughtfully. 

*_No, I didn't want to make friends with him,_* he said. *_He's rude, he's arrogant, he's totally unsociable... I may just have to change my mind, just to teach him a lesson._* 

~*~

"So, where are we going?" 

"I have no idea." 

"What?" Jyou squawked, goggling at his friend. Yamato shrugged. 

"Just like old times," Gomamon commented. 

"I've only got a rough idea of where Chiaromon's hideout is," said Yamato. "We're heading in that general direction, but we're going to have to scout around a bit before we find it. Ken said he raised up a regular mansion. It shouldn't be that hard to find." 

"Great. Tramping around in the woods. Just what I love," said Jyou bitterly. "And neither of our Digimon have wings. Couldn't you have waited until Sora got home? I bet she and Birdramon could find this place in no time, and we wouldn't have to walk so much." 

Yamato flushed a bit. "I don't think she'd approve. If she were here, she would be right there with you saying this isn't our work, and that we should wait for Mary to turn up instead of running off chasing hunches." His face hardened. "But this is our work. There's something dangerous running loose in the world we fought and nearly died to protect, and I for one am not going to sit back and do nothing while Chiaromon hunts down my friends!" 

"Well, when you put it like that," Jyou sighed. "Lead the way." 

Yamato led, and Jyou followed. He'd always been good at that - following orders. It was part of his nature. If someone put an obligation on him, he would fill it out or go crazy trying. It was what had brought him to where he was today, what had pulled him through those long difficult years of medical school, fighting down his distaste for blood and pain enough to bring out his own healing capabilities. It was his inner store of strength. Now it served him well, forcing him to stay by his friend's side even when his instincts were telling him with greater and greater urgency that they were nearing danger. Something didn't feel right here;.The pine trees were growing denser and darker, hung with something like moss or thick spiderwebs. The air hung thick and heavy, cool but somehow stuffy, lifeless, dead... 

"Something smells wrong," Gabumon commented after a while. "It reminds me of something." 

"What?" asked Yamato. 

Gabumon sniffed the air. "Caves. Underground places, and dust and bats. It's familiar." 

"We've been here before," said Jyou with sudden certainty. "We were here, a long time ago, and something bad happened. We've got to get away before it happens again." 

"But-" Yamato began, and stopped. Something had just registered in his mind, a brief but vivid image of shadows and fire, battle and fear. They _had_ been here before, and they had almost not gotten away alive. 

"Where are we?" he asked at last. 

Jyou didn't answer. Something had caught his eye, and he was walking towards it, beckoning for everyone else to follow. They soon came to a rise in the land, a place where they could look through the dark trees and see off into the distance. Everyone stood there, staring in still, shaken silence. Ken had not been there at the time, and would not have the memories to recognize this place, but Taichi would have if he'd thought to look this far. Jyou and Yamato recognized it now. 

"That - that's _Myotismon's_ castle!" Yamato exclaimed. "How did it get here? We destroyed it!" 

"True," answered a voice like cold underground rivers, "but that is a very good copy, is it not?" 

The two men and their 'mons turned to stare at the newcomer, taking in blue eyes, blonde hair, the distinctive mismatched wings. 

"You're Chiaromon," said Jyou. 

"Word spreads," said Chiaromon with a bow. "Welcome to my forest." 

Yamato turned to the Digimon with icy fire in his eyes. "Explain that castle." 

"I wanted it, so I had it built. It's as simple as that," Chiaromon replied. "I'm something of an admirer of Myotismon's. He did many great things. Terrible, certainly, but great. He came so close to ruling both worlds. One has to respect him for that." 

"I don't," Yamato replied. 

"Not my problem," said Chiaromon. "I can certainly understand your dislike of him, considering that your fate put him somewhat in your way. Given time, you'll learn I'm cut from a slightly different cloth. Different, but no less dangerous for all of that." He gave them a thin smile. "If my palace interests you, perhaps you'd like to examine it more closely? You are welcome to visit me there as long as you like." 

"And I suppose if we go, we don't get any choice about when we leave?" asked Yamato. 

"Of course not! Don't be silly. I said 'as long as you like.' If you fear locks and bars, I'll show you none. You will leave when you are ready to leave and go unobstructed. You have my word on it." 

The Digidestined frowned; something didn't feel right about that remark. Villains just didn't go around inviting their enemies over for tea. Then again, perhaps he was being serious. A cobra didn't need to touch its prey to hold it captive. Jyou frowned, not liking the situation at all. 

"I don't think we're going to visit you today," he said. "We just came by to see if you had seen someone, the daughter of a friend of ours." 

"A child?" Chiaromon looked curious. "Sorry to disappoint you, but I've seen no children. I would like to, perhaps, but I haven't." 

"Are you sure?" Yamato asked suspiciously. 

"I wouldn't lie. I'm a gentlemon." 

Yamato scowled at him. "I can't figure you out. You capture one of my best friends and lock him up and say he'd better open up a door to the Dark Ocean for you or you'll torture his Digimon until he gives in. Now you're telling us you're not the kind of person who would do something like that and promising not to hurt us. Something's not adding up." 

Chiaromon grinned. "Didn't you know? I'm a split personality." 

"Yeah, right," said Yamato. "Sure, I believe that one." 

"It's true," Chiaromon answered. "It should be obvious." He gave his wings a flutter for emphasis. Yamato looked him over critically. 

"Part angel, part devil, hm?" he queried. 

"Precisely," said Chiaromon. For a moment, there was an expression of sadness on his face that even the suspicious Yamato couldn't pass off as faked. "They are forever at war within me, pushing me first one way, then the other. Sometimes I myself have no influence over what I do, but can only obey the force of whatever nature controls me at the time." 

"So why all this?" asked Jyou, waving vaguely at the castle. "You aren't really going to use the tired old excuse that the devil made you do it?" 

"I want answers," said Chiaromon. "More than anything else, I want to understand Good and Evil. My only dream is to understand, once and for all, which of the two is the more powerful. That is the nature of my great experiment." 

"Ah," said Yamato. He seemed to be relaxing a bit. "So, you're not really out to hurt anyone, you just want to figure out which of these sides is the one you ought to be listening to. Is that is?" 

"Yes," said Chiaromon. "Can you help me?" 

"Well... I suppose it wouldn't hurt if you just wanted to _talk_ for a while," said Yamato. 

"Bad idea," Jyou whispered. "What happens if we get in there and his dark side breaks out? What if he's lying?" 

"He's not lying," said Yamato. "You can see it in his eyes. He needs someone to help him. When you think about it, he's not that much different from Black WarGreymon." 

"Black WarGreymon was a whole other ballgame," hissed Jyou urgently. "Yamato, I have this bad feeling that if we go in there, something really bad is going to happen. I don't want to follow this guy." 

"It'll be all right," Yamato assured him. "Come on." 

Chiaromon led Yamato, and Yamato followed, so there was nothing left but for a sadly sighing Jyou to trail along behind. 

Unseen, unheard, someone watched with wide eyes until they all vanished, and then skittered off into the safety of the shadows. 

~*~

"Are you planning on staying in there all day?" 

Oki had gotten frustrated with Kata. It was all well and good for the kid to have his privacy, but he didn't need to live like a hermit, especially when there was someone else in the house. He could be just a little bit hospitable. 

"I was," said Kata through the door. "Why should I come out?" 

"Because it's rude to sit in there when you've got a guest," Oki replied. 

"Do you really want to talk to me?" 

"Um..." 

"Well, I don't really want to talk to you either. We can save each other some trouble if we just stay on our own sides of the door," Kata said. "Now, go away. You're bothering me." 

There was nothing to be said, so Oki simply stared at the closed door, glowering furiously. On the other side, he could hear RB's voice alternating with Kata's, as if they were arguing about something... as much as Kata could sound that way. Oki was beginning to suspect that the boy didn't have any other speaking voice but the tone of one who was patiently explaining things to an idiot. 

"... have to talk about?" Kata said. 

"People things," answered RB. "You've got to have _something_ in common." 

"I doubt it." 

"Then talk about what's different." 

"He wouldn't understand. He wouldn't even be interested. If I want to talk to someone, I can talk to you. Nobody else needs to get involved." 

Oki listened, turning over this information in his mind. While he was still getting it all sorted and categorized in his mind, his attention was caught by something - a little noise, something unmusical but urgent. He looked around, searching for the source of the unfamiliar sound until Nami waddled up to tug at his pants leg. 

"Your Digivice is going off," he said. 

"Huh?" Oki looked down and saw that the device clipped to his belt was strobing red lights across its screen. "Uh-oh, that looks bad. Hey, Kata, come out of your cocoon and have a look at this!" 

Apparently, that was enough to get the recluse's attention. Kata opened the door, his expression annoyed, but it was the kind of annoyance that masked curiousity. 

"What is it?" he asked. 

"Is your Digivice going off too?" Oki responded. 

Kata looked puzzled for a moment. Then he dove back into his room and began rummaging through dresser drawers. The room, Oki noted, was a mess, littered with sheet music, CD discs, and other odds and ends. The walls were plastered with posters of bands from the present and past; a few, carefully framed, showed Mr. Ishida from his younger days when he'd been a star himself. At last, Kata held up a small device like Oki's, matching down to the flashing lights. 

"Interesting," said Kata, studying it. "It's never done this before." 

"There must be a problem in the Digital World," said Oki. "You don't think our dads are in trouble, do you?" 

"Maybe..." 

"Then maybe we should go check on them." 

"What can we do?" asked Kata. "We don't know anything about the Digital World. We're just kids." 

"That's how our parents were when they saved the world," Oki replied. "If you won't come, I'll go in alone." 

"Come on, Kata, let's go with him," said RB quietly. 

Kata paused, weighing the options. Finally he sighed. 

"All right," he said, "but only for you." 

"Great," said Oki, sounding almost cheerful. It was nice to have things going the way he wanted, for a change. "Let's get going. Where's the computer?" 

Still looking rankled, Kata led the way into his father's room, where a computer stood waiting. Oki held up his Digivice and held it up to the computer like a holy relic. 

"Digiport open!" he commanded, and they were whisked away in swirling lights. 

They landed in open prairie land, surrounded on all sides by tall waving grass. Their arrival startled a small herd of grazing Unimon, who flew off in search of quieter territory. The boys shook themselves, discomfited by the sudden change of scenery. 

"Well, here we are," said Kata, looking around. "Now what?" 

"We follow the signal," Oki replied. He checked his bearings, then checked the Digivice. "That way." 

"Yup, yup! Just follow our fearless leader!" chirped Nami. He began scampering up on Oki's shoulders again. "You follow, I ride." 

"Fearless leader, hm?" said Kata, looking Oki up and down. "He doesn't look much like a leader to me." 

Oki bit his tongue in order to stop himself from snapping back at him. Being sarcastic wouldn't do anything to draw Kata out of his self-imposed shell; if he didn't have something constructive to say, he had better not say it. Still, what he was wishing he could say that Kata didn't look like the sort who would be such an arrogant jerk. On the contrary, given another year or two, he would have quite a crowd of female followers. It was already visible in his face and bearing that he was going to be every bit as attractive as his father when he got older, and obviously with talent to match. 

"Oki's a good leader," said Nami mischievously. "He likes to push people around." 

"Obviously," said Kata, with what might have been the ghost of a smile. "We'll let him lead, then. Get moving, leader." 

*_I am not going to snap at him, I'm not, I'm not I'm not..._* thought Oki, gritting his teeth. 

They walked. Oki led the way, with frequent glances at the Digivice to make sure they were going the right direction, with Nami playing the part of the backseat driver. Kata ambled along behind, paying no attention to anything. He'd taken a pair of headphones out of his pocket, connected to a portable CD player at his belt, and he had slipped them on and zoned out, making no sound except when he forgot himself and started singing. His Digimon followed along in the attitude of a puzzled dog, looking up hopefully at his partner and then apologetically at Oki. 

"You've got to understand," he said, "Kata doesn't much like people." 

"We noticed," said Nami. 

"He doesn't think they'll understand him," said RB. "Music is everything to him. If that's not your thing..." 

"You can forget about talking to him," Oki finished. "I get it. An artistic snob." 

"No! It's not like that," RB protested. "If you're not interested in music, you're not interested in Kata, so he figures he'll spare you the trouble." 

"Ah," said Oki. "We'll have to work on that." 

"No, you won't," said Kata, "and don't talk about me behind my back." 

Oki flushed, momentarily wishing that there was a gopher hole he could drop down. Wishing desperately for a distraction, his gaze strayed to the horizon. There was someone else out there, he realized with a start. Not a Digimon, either - a human. 

"Hey, look!" he said. "There's another boy up there." 

"Hm?" Kata looked. "There is! What's he doing here?" 

"Maybe he got the signal, too," Oki replied. "Think we should go talk to him?" 

Kata considered a moment, then gave a judicious nod. The two of them began to run toward the distant figure. They hadn't gone far before whoever it was realized they were there and stopped walking, waiting for them to catch up. Soon they were close enough to get a good look at the stranger. They stopped dead in their tracks and stared. 

Moving as one, their eyes inspected the stranger from top to toe, and then back up again. A pair of sandals were fitted to a pair of dainty little feet, which were in turn connected by trim ankles to a pair of graceful calves. Just above the knee, a pair of denim shorts fitted like a coat of paint to shapely thighs and hips, and then stopped low enough to give a glimpse of a curving waistline. If there had been any doubts of the newcomer's femininity by then, the shape her t-shirt fitted over erased them. Having made the journey that far, the boys gazed at the girl's heart- shaped face, investigating full lips and dazzling green eyes fringed with extravagant eyelashes. Her hair was cut boyishly short, but it was a rich shade of brown that flashed with gold and copper in the sunlight. She was altogether the most dazzling thing either of them had ever seen, and would have been even more so if she hadn't been staring at them with a scowl fierce enough to melt ice. 

"What are you looking at?" she demanded. 

"Nothing," they replied. Oki shut his mouth with a snap, realizing belatedly that it had dropped open to accommodate the fact that he'd been breathing a bit faster than usual. 

"We were just surprised," he said quickly. "From a distance, you looked like a guy." 

"Ah," said the girl. She looked mollified, even pleased by the explanation. "For a minute I thought you were going to start acting all stupid like the other guys I meet." 

"Wouldn't dream of it," said Oki. Nami smacked him. "Ow! What was that for?" 

"Telling lies," Nami whispered into his ear. 

"So... are you the ones I called?" asked the girl. 

"Called?" asked Oki. "You mean, you were the one who sent the signal?" 

The girl pantomimed drawing a mark on a chalkboard. "Score a point for the boy in glasses! You might not be hopeless, after all. If you two are the ones I called, that must make you Oki and Kata. You're Oki, right?" 

"Right," Oki replied. "Who are you?" 

"Amarante," she answered. "Mary to my friends. And this is my partner, Rosebud." 

"Hi!" called a voice at her feet. The boys looked down, surprised. They had been too busy looking at the girl to notice the Palmon that was blending into the tall grass. The 'mon waved a leaf-hand at them. 

"Rosebud?" repeated Kata, looking surprised. 

"Yeah, Rosebud," Mary repeated. She held up her fists, which were encased in black leather biking gloves. "You want to make something of it, punk?" 

"No, no, no," said Kata hastily, backing a few paces away instinctively. "It's a great name, really." 

Mary let her hands drop to her sides. 

"I was just a kid when I named her," she said, sounding almost apologetic. "You know how kids are." 

"Mine's named Nami," said Oki. "And that's RB." 

"Your 'mons got cool names," Mary answered enviously. 

"Hey," said Kata, shaking himself as if coming out of a trance, "aren't you the girl who disappeared? You weren't captured by Chiaromon, like Dad thought?" 

"Me? Get nabbed by Chiaromon? No way!" said Mary. "I ran away from home." 

"You did?" asked Oki. "What for?" 

"My mom," said Mary, sighing. "She was driving me nuts. She was okay when I was a kid, but now that I'm growing up, she wants me to put on dresses and wear makeup and start trying to catch a boyfriend." She made a face, obviously nauseated at the idea. "I was thinking maybe if I dropped off the face of the world for a while, it would give her a little perspective. If she can't take me as I am, she can do without me. At the very least, when I go home, she might be so grateful to have me there that she won't care so much what I'm doing." 

"I see," said Oki. Mary looked at him, checking for disapproval, and found none. Truthfully, he actually found himself admiring her. Here was the kind of person nobody told what to do. 

*_Not like some people,_* the thought ruefully, and shoved the thought out of his mind. 

"So, what did you call us for?" he asked instead. 

"I called because of Chiaromon," answered Mary. "He's got your parents." 

"What?" the boys exclaimed. 

"He took them," Mary replied. "They went voluntarily, but I don't think they're coming out again." 

Rosebud nodded. "Chiaromon's dangerous. He's got weird powers. I've heard the other Digimon talking about him. They say he's like a magnet with two poles, good and bad. Whatever kind of feelings are strongest in you, he'll bring them out. If there's any kind of weakness in you at all, he'll find it." 

Kata looked indignant. "He won't hurt my dad. Dad's stronger than that." 

"You gonna bet his soul on that?" asked Mary. "I wouldn't. All I've heard since I got here was stories about people going into that castle of his and not coming out, or if they do, being changed." 

"So you propose we go in there and get our parents out?" asked Oki. 

"That was the basic idea, yeah," Mary said. "I thought about doing it myself, but then I decided even I'm not that crazy." 

"What happens if Chiaromon finds us?" asked RB nervously. 

Mary shrugged. "We'll just have to make sure he doesn't, that's all." 

"Great," Oki sighed. 

"So, you coming or not?" asked Mary, looking impatient. "_Don't_ tell me I've picked up a couple of chickens." 

"We're coming," Kata said instantly. 

"Well, Oki?" asked Nami, eyes narrowed slyly. "You going to let a girl and a little kid show you up?" 

"I'm going," said Oki, "and I would have even if you hadn't said that!" 

"Sure," Nami replied. 

"Good," said Mary. "I knew I could count on you. Come on, the castle's this way." 

"Over there?" asked Oki. The direction she was pointing showed the beginnings of a pine forest, dark and somber in the distance. 

"What were you expecting? A paved highway and some neon lights?" Mary shot back. 

Oki shut up. The three of them began to walk in awkward silence - awkward for some of them, anyway. Mary didn't seem bothered, marching along at a swift pace that left Oki very little to think about except trying not to pant from exertion. Kata was walking with a dazed expression, not taking his eyes off of Mary as she walked in front of him. 

*_Poor kid_* thought Oki, managing a shred of pity. *_Bet he regrets living in a bubble now. He's still so young... I'm willing to bet money this is the first time he's been really smitten with a girl. Maybe this will teach him something. She's not going to put up with his attitude, that's for sure, and she's too old for him... even if he is talented and good-looking and... darn it, I am not going to get jealous of Kata!_* 

Still, he thought, eyeing his new acquaintance, if he was going to be spending a lot of time with Mary in the future, jealousy might be very hard to avoid. 

~*~

Yamato was having second thoughts. Thus far, Chiaromon was acting the part of the gracious host so well that he could find no fault with the performance, and even Jyou seemed to be lapsing into a resigned relaxation. The castle, what they were seeing of it, looked less than sinister - dark and shadowy, yes, but also clean and well-kept, with no evidence that this was anything more than the home of a man who simply didn't like bright lights. Those few Digimon they passed in the halls moved without fear; Chiaromon even addressed a few politely as they walked by. Everything seemed to be in order, and yet Yamato could not feel comfortable. Maybe it was some lingering influence of Myotismon's that made him feel as if the shadows here were palpable, even alive, as if they were brushing over him with a pressure he could feel. The Digimon seemed to feel it, too; they pressed close to their partners and jumped at small noises. 

"Enter," said Chiaromon, stopping at a door and holding it open with a gracious bow. Having little choice, the men did as they were told, stepping through the portal and finding themselves in a richly furnished parlor. There was a window on one side, looking out on the southern exposure and the expanse of dark forest, making the room a few tints brighter than the rest of the castle. The furniture was colored in a rich, dark red fabric that shimmered like garnet. There were a number of shelves with books on them, elegant leather-bound volumes with leather bindings and gold leaf on the spines. A quick glance told Yamato that most of them seemed to be various histories of the Digital World and people who lived there, and though they had been well cared for, they were also much used. Pondering the novelty of a literary Digimon, Yamato took a proffered chair, and Jyou sat down next to him, while Chiaromon took the chair furthest from the window. A silver bell rested on a small table next to him, and he picked it up and rang it. 

"Could I interest any of you in refreshments?" he asked. "I need little myself, but I thought a drink might put you a bit more at ease." 

Even as he spoke, a Vegimon appeared, pushing a tea service. It carefully lifted a silver teapot and poured a stream of steaming green liquid into a pair of waiting silver teacups, which it offered to the Digidestined. They took the cups skeptically, staring into them without drinking. 

"You think I would poison you?" asked Chiaromon. "Drug you, perhaps? You underestimate me. I am not so foolish as to think you would fall to such a ruse." 

Jyou frowned at the teacup, then shrugged and took a sip. 

"It's just green tea," he said. "Pretty good, actually. Better than I get at home." 

"If you say so," Yamato replied. He took a drink. "You're right. It is good." 

"You approve?" asked Chiaromon, looking mildly pleased. "I've never tried it myself, but one of my servants has a fondness for it. I'll tell him you like it. He will be most flattered." 

"You don't act like I was expecting," said Jyou. "I've never seen a monster who was nice to his servants before." 

Chiaromon laughed. "A monster? You are mistaken. I'm not a monster, or even a Virus. I'm a pure Data type... and certainly not a tyrant. I keep servants, not slaves or captives. They come to me willingly or not at all, and I make every effort to treat them fairly. If I cannot keep my followers' loyalty, or at least interest, I am not fit to rule them. Don't you think?" 

"You _talk_ like a good ruler," said Yamato thoughtfully. "If we knew we could trust you, we might even say you're a good thing to have here. You would, at least, discourage more dangerous creatures if they thought you had you to contend with." 

"That is true," Chiaromon replied. "Would you suggest, then, an alliance?" 

"What do you mean?" asked Yamato suspiciously. 

"I mean, you help me discover what I want to know, and I help you protect this world. I admit freely that certain things have led me to believe that the Darkness is stronger than the Light, but if you can convince me that you are truly the greater power, I might be willing to help you." 

Yamato frowned. He had a feeling he was walking on thin ice; this creature was too glib, his answers too rehearsed. There was a trap in here somewhere, if only he could see it. "What would it take to convince you?" 

Chiaromon smiled. "Let me test you." 

"Test?" Yes, this was a trap. 

"A simple operation. A spell, in your terms, but really more of an exertion of influence. It shouldn't be difficult; I tried it once on your friend Ichijouji, and he recovered within an hour or so with no effects worse than a few bad memories. Surely you can do the same." 

"You put a spell on Ken?" asked Jyou, surprised. "He didn't say anything about that." 

"He wouldn't have known," Chiaromon replied. "All he thinks I did is remind him, and the memories were enough to depress him a while, but not crush him entirely." 

"I get it," said Yamato slowly. "You did something to make Ken remember all the bad times, all the things he did as the Emperor, right? And now you want to do the same thing to us?" 

Chiaromon nodded. "If light is the superior element in both of you, then any darkness I bring forth in you will not be enough to overcome it. Are you willing to take that gamble?" 

Yamato considered. He knew what darkness was like. He'd been close to it many times, been engulfed in it completely, and he had always come out unscathed. Maybe he did have the inner strength to escape again... 

"I'm game," he said. "Jyou?" 

Hesitantly, Jyou nodded. "I'll try." 

"Fine," said Chiaromon. 

They didn't have time to prepare, or even a warning. Instead, they waited, and while they waited, _it_ came, slowly and silently as a dark fog, until suddenly Yamato thought he'd been swallowed up by shadows, and in the shadows were memories... 

_He was a little child again, crying his heart out as he heard his parents were fighting again. They were breaking up, that his mother and brother were going away, and life was never going to be as good as it used to be..._

_He was eleven years old, a Digidestined carrying a Crest he didn't deserve. He had no friends; he didn't understand what friendship was like; nobody cared about him. The boy he thought was his friend had betrayed him, hadn't he? Tai was jealous of him, or hated him, always trying to tell him what to do. He would show that arrogant boy. Hate and hurt burned and filled his eyes with tears..._

On and on the scenes played, showing him every time he'd been angry, afraid, sad, just wishing he could go away from the world and hide. He felt tossed around in the storm of emotion, but something held him anchored. He shook himself, forcing himself back to the present. All of this had happened a long time ago, and memories couldn't hurt him, not when he knew what things were like now. He did have friends - Taichi, Ken, Daisuke, all of the Digidestined. He had Sora and two beautiful children. He still had his family, who still loved him even though they were apart. He had Gabumon, of course, the one person who couldn't be taken away from him by anything. He had a good life, and he refused to give up on it. The darkness cleared. 

"Nice try, Chiaromon," he said, "but not good enough." 

Chiaromon only smiled, and Yamato felt his stomach sink. He turned to look at Jyou, who was still sitting as though frozen. His skin was paler than normal, and he was sweating, his eyes wide and staring at nothing... No, he was seeing something, something that shook him to the core. Gomamon was trying to shake him out of the trance, but Jyou didn't seem to feel him, even when the seal's claws raked at him in a way that looked painful. 

"Something wrong, Mr. Kido?" he asked. 

"It's all wrong," said Jyou shakily. "It's not what I wanted..." 

"Really?" asked Chiaromon, his voice almost gentle. "Go on." 

"Everyone's always telling me what to do... They told me what I was going to do, what I was going to be, and I never had any say in it. My father told me I was going to be a doctor, and I never got any other choice. He was always telling me to study harder, and then my brothers would tell me that I couldn't do it. They thought I wasn't good enough, not strong enough. Then I got pulled out of my home and told I had to save the world. I didn't want to, but they said it was fate. I couldn't fight it; I just had to go along. I had to see my friends get hurt and watch good people die, and I couldn't stop it. Now everyone's always after me to help them. I have to get up in the middle of the night to make me come out to their house because they were stupid enough to hurt themselves, or they're so important they can't wait until the morning. And I go, and what thanks do I get? None! I never have any time for myself. There's never been time for me at all. It's always what someone else wants! Never once in my whole life have I gotten to choose what I want!" His voice had risen steadily throughout the monologue until he was shouting at the top of his lungs, his face contorted in fury, breathing hard. The others watched, Yamato in shock, Chiaromon impassively. 

"It feels good to finally say it, doesn't it?" the 'mon asked quietly. 

"Yes." Jyou's voice had gone cold; his eyes looked frozen. 

"Don't listen to him, Jyou," said Yamato. "You know it wasn't like that! He's messing with your mind." 

"You keep out of it," Jyou snapped. "You don't know how it feels. People always liked you. You were so special - too good for me! Don't try to hide it - I know how you all felt about me. You laughed at me! You thought I was so funny, stupid Jyou, always worrying about something, always complaining. I was stupid to care about any of you." 

"Jyou..." Gomamon said, appalled. 

"And you keep out of it, too!" said Jyou. "You're as bad as any of them, making fun of me. I'm tired of having people make fun of me." 

"But Jyou, you're my best friend," Gomamon protested. "Come on, snap out of it! You know I care about you." 

"I'm tired of it," Jyou repeated. He did sound tired now; his initial rage used up, it sounded as if all his strength was gone. His eyes continued to stare without seeing; it was doubtful he could even hear what was being said to him. "I'm tired of all of it. I just... want... out." 

There was a crackle like distant lighting, and darkness convalesced around Jyou, wrapping around him and crystalizing until he was sealed up inside something like hazy dark glass, like a fly trapped in amber. His expression was still contorted in anger and pain. 

"Why, you...!" shouted Gomamon, lunging at Chiaromon. "Give me back my Jyou!" 

Chiaromon flicked his hand and muttered something, and Gomamon fell in mid-stride. Yamato turned on the prince, eyes blazing. 

"What have you done?" he demanded. 

"Don't worry, the Digimon is only sleeping," said Chiaromon. "I consider it most humane to leave him that way while his partner is unavailable." 

"_Humane?!_" Yamato shouted. "You call that humane? If you don't put Jyou back right now..." 

"Threats are pointless," said Chiaromon mildly. "As I've said, I take no one who does not come to me willingly. Your friend agreed to the experiment. The darkness is his own, drawn to the surface. When he denied the light, he was encased in darkness, and that's all there is to it. Not only will I not free him, I cannot. My nature is half shadow; I lack the powers of light it would take to pierce that darkness." 

"I'll kill you for this," Yamato snarled. 

Chiaromon smiled. "You have a violent nature. What do you think would happen if you indulged it while the remnants of my spell are present? Give in to that anger, and you _might_ kill me... but think of what would happen to you if you did." 

Yamato stared, anger flaring in his eyes... but that slowly dimmed to a dull smolder. He sighed. 

"That's better," said Chiaromon. "Go home now. He has a wife and child, does he not? They will need to know what has become of him. You are useless to me. You will leave unobstructed." 

"I hope the roof falls in on you," Yamato growled. 

Chiaromon shrugged. "I will die." 

"What's that supposed to mean?" 

"I am conscious of my lifespan, Ishida. You may yet live to see me die. If it pleases you, then perhaps it will not be a total loss." 

Yamato shook his head. "Come on, Gabumon. I want out of here." 

Gabumon nodded, and the two of them hurried away. Yamato stole one last glance over his shoulder to look back at Jyou, and regretted it. He pulled the door shut tight behind him and fled down the halls. Chiaromon chuckled, walking closer to the black crystal to peer at the figure inside. His hands brushed the surface of the prism as he studied Jyou's expression, and his own face shifted to that odd, sad look that surfaced at odd moments. 

"Was this how I looked?" he wondered. "When I first saw the Darkness... is this how it looked?" 

~*~

"Don't look now, but we've got trouble." 

"Huh?" Oki, alerted by the whisper in his ear, disobeyed by looking around. "I don't see anything." 

"Neither do I, but I smell it," Nami replied. "Hey, RB, put your nose to work and tell me something weird isn't around here." 

RB turned his snout skyward and checked the air. "I smell Digimon... not nice ones." 

Mary stopped walking and looked around. They had reached the pine forest, and were surrounded by green-black shadows and rusty trunks. In all the darkness, it was next to impossible to make out anything clearly. She put her hands on her hips and glared at the forest in general. 

"All right," she said. "Who's out there? Show yourself!" 

"What do you think you're doing?" Kata demanded. 

"What does it look like I'm doing?" she replied. "I figure, if something's after us, it's better for it to come out now and let us get it over with, instead of pouncing on us later. Looks like it's not going to come out, though, does it?" 

"Maybe you scared it," said Rosebud. "It can't be very brave if it's hiding in the shadows, can it?" 

"I bet it was just you guys' imaginations," Mary said. "There's nothing here that's going to-" 

Unfortunately, there was. Before she could finish what she was saying, their was a shrill shriek, and a number of small, bat-winged creatures dropped out of the shadows of the trees, chittering and showing off sets of sharp teeth and claws. 

"Vilemon," Oki hissed. "Rats!" 

"Okay, so maybe I was wrong," said Mary. "Ugh, get out of my way, you creepy things!" 

She aimed a kick at a Vilemon that had come too clase, sending it soaring through the air and slamming into a tree. It slid to the ground with a small moan. 

"_Poison Ivy!_" shouted Rosebud, lashing her vines around two of the enemy Digimon. She lifted them up and slammed them into each other before dropping them in disgust. 

"What in the world?" Kata had turned pale and was watching the Digimon nervously. 

"Pesky little demons," Oki muttered. "Champion types, but not very powerful." He watched as Nami tackled one and smacked it senseless with a flipper. "Obviously." 

"_Blue Blaster!_" shouted RB, spitting out a spray of azure flame that singed a small group of attackers. "Don't worry, Kata, we'll handle these things!" 

Just then, four of them tackled Rosebud from behind, throwing her to the ground. Mary waded into the fray, picking up Digimon and throwing them, but more and more kept coming. Oki was backing away frantically as a small group of them tried to corner him. Nami was trying to defend him, but there was only so much that could be accomplished by flying fish. Kata looked petrified, and RB had his paws full trying to defend him. 

"Or not," he said. "There are just so many of these things!" 

"I _wish_ I knew how to make this thing work!" Oki muttered, scowling at his Digivice. "Does anyone know how to get to the Champion level?" 

There was no answer; the other children were too busy fighting for their lives, or at least trying to keep their fingers firmly attached - the Vilemon were snapping at any body part that came within the reach of their sharp teeth. Mary yelped as one's claw nicked her leg, and she sent it flying with a swift kick. 

Suddenly, a shadow fell over the battlefield, and humans and 'mons alike looked up to see what had blocked out the light. Soaring gracefully through the sky was... 

"An angel?" said Oki, eyes widening. 

The flying thing dropped from the sky and landed in the center of the battlefield, letting itself be seen by all. It was a woman, but taller than any human, dressed in white garments that fitted like a second skin and a stole of flowing pink ribbon that hovered around her, defying gravity. Her statuesque face was partly covered by an iron mask. She had long hair the color of jet and a pair of matching black wings. Though her eyes couldn't be seen, everyone had the feeling she was staring at the monsters with a burning anger. 

"_Celestial Arrow!_" she called. 

A bow sprang from her wrist, and she pulled an arrow of light from it and let fly. Several of the Vilemon exploded in bursts of light and data. The rest, seeing a second arrow aimed at them, fled from the power of an angry Ultimate. Glancing around to make sure there was no more danger, the angel knelt down to put herself at eye level with the young Digidestined. 

"Are any of you hurt?" she asked. Her voice was strong and authoritative, but there was a softer undercurrent to it. 

"We're fine," said Mary. "At least, I am. You guys all right?" 

"Yeah," Oki answered, and Kata nodded. 

"That is good," the angel replied. "You should not have come here. This forest is a place of dark things. The Lord of Demons is making himself felt here again. As his power grows, so do his minions become bolder. It won't be long before they are too much to be controlled." 

"The Lord of Demons?" repeated Oki. "Would that be Chiaromon?" 

The angel shook her head. "No. Chiaromon has not yet devoted himself to Darkness. I speak of one much darker, one whose name my kind fear to speak. Do not ask me for it." 

"Can we ask your name, then?" asked Mary. 

The angel hesitated. Then she said, "I am called Ebon Angewomon." 

"Ebon," Oki repeated. "Doesn't that mean 'black'? But you're not a fallen angel, are you?" 

"Fallen? Perhaps. But not evil - never that," Ebon Angewomon replied. "I am in mourning. You see, I once had a son, but lost a battle with the Demon Lord. Since then, I have mourned, for he was everything to me." She sighed deeply. Then she shook herself. "But what are children doing here, in a dark place like this? Have you no homes to go to?" 

"I've run away," said Mary, and for once, she sounded a bit abashed by the statement. 

"You have?" asked Ebon Angewomon. "What for?" 

"Because of my mother," Mary answered. "She was always trying to run my life her way. She didn't care what I wanted." 

"Unwise," said the angel. "She should be grateful to have a child at all. And the rest of you?" 

"Our fathers were taken by Chiaromon," Oki replied. "We were going to look for them." 

"Ah. That will be difficult. Once Chiaromon has something, it is not easily released," Ebon Angewomon replied. "Still, I know what it is to have lost something. If there is anything I can do to change the situation, I will do it." 

"Thanks," said Oki. "I'm sure we could use the help." 

"Only too glad. I am fond of children," the angel said, smiling. Oki felt a warm rush, and a smile crept over his face as well. When an angel smiled at you, it was hard not to smile back. 

Just then, they heard a rustling in the underbrush, and someone walked into view - someone leading a Gabumon. Kata's eyes widened. 

"Dad?" he said. 

"Kata!" Yamato exclaimed. "What are you doing here?" 

"Looking for you," Kata replied. "We got a distress signal - Oki said I should come." 

"Oh," said Yamato. "Well, you shouldn't have. This isn't a place for kids." Then he stopped. "What am I saying? Of course this is - never mind. I'm all confused." 

"Where's my dad?" asked Oki, staring off into the forest. "Isn't he with you?" 

Yamato sighed. "No, he's not. I don't know how to say it, but... Chiaromon took him. the Darkness was just too much for him." 

There was a flash of anger in Oki's eyes. 

"I knew it," he muttered. "I knew he couldn't take it!" 

"We'll get him back," said Ebon Angewomon. "Don't worry, child. The Darkness will be broken." Turning to Yamato, she said, "Let me help you, for the sake of the children. I want to see and end to the shadows as much as you do." 

"Thanks," said Yamato. "I'll take the boys home, now, and see if I can explain to Oki's mother that Jyou's not coming home to dinner tonight." 

Ebon Angewomon nodded. "I'll be here. If any of you are ever in danger, call, and I'll find a way to come." 

"And what about me?" asked Mary, half-defiant, half-worried. 

"You should go home," said Ebon Angewomon. "Your mother will be worried." 

"Worried is an understatement," Yamato said. "She was having hysteric fits, last I heard." 

Mary sighed. "All right. Back out the next Digiport I see." 

"I'll just watch you, to make sure you don't manage to get lost," said Yamato. "We don't need any more lost people today." 

They walked off in search of the portal home, and Kata fell in stride next to Oki. 

"I'm sorry about your dad," he said quietly. 

"It's okay," Oki answered. "I sort of expected it. He's never been the resilient type." 

"We're going to get him back," said Kata. "Don't worry." 

There was a moment of silence. Then Kata added, "Oki?" 

"Yeah?" 

"Thanks... for making me come with you," he said. A ghost of a smile played across his face. "I sort of enjoyed it. It was different." 

"You're welcome," Oki replied. 

Somewhere inside, he felt comforted. Just when he needed one, he seemed to have found a friend. 

~*~

The mutant lurked in the deepest shadows Chiaromon's dark castle had to offer, staring in horrified fascination at the thing his master had left in the room. This room was Chiaromon's special project, something he had worked for months on to create the way he wanted it. It was built beneath the ruins of the old palace, carved out of the living rock where the shadows had lay thick and undisturbed for eons. The walls and ceilings were little more than a rough-cut dome of rock, but the floor had been leveled until it was perfectly flat, smooth as marble. Then a pattern had been carved into it, a huge seven-pointed star, and within the rays were other symbols that the mutant didn't care to look at. In the center stood a pedestal marked with more carving. At each tip was a depression, and set into one of these was the black crystal. The mutant felt a bit sick just looking at it, but Chiaromon was standing back admiring it as if it were a work of art. 

"You should be proud of yourself," he told the figure encased in the stone. "You are the first. Don't worry; others will join you shortly. Then the real fun will begin." 

The mutant shuddered; he wasn't clear on what his master's idea of "fun" was, but he didn't think he'd like it. The movement must have caught Chiaromon's attention, for he turned his piercing eyes to the shadow. 

"You didn't think you could hide from me, did you?" he asked. "Don't lurk like that. If you want to look, come out and gaze your fill." 

The mutant winced; he'd forgotten that his eyes glowed in the dark. Reluctantly, he came out to stand at his master's side. From there, he could clearly see the contorted expression on the captured human's face. 

"Your thoughts?" Chiaromon inquired. 

"He looks so unhappy," the mutant said sadly. "I feel sorry for him." 

"Yes," said Chiaromon thoughtfully. "You would. You feel things deeply, don't you? Far more than I am capable of. You felt sorry for the last one, too, didn't you?" 

The mutant nodded. "He was kind to me..." He clapped a hand over his mouth, realizing too late what that implied. 

"I see. You befriended the captive, and you just couldn't stand to see your friend unhappy." 

"Please, Master, I couldn't help it..." the mutant babbled. 

For a moment, Chiaromon's eyes flickered red. Then, amazingly, he regained control of himself. His expression was cold, but not angry. 

"I should have known," Chiaromon said slowly. "Despite what I would have had you be, you've always belonged to the Light and not to me. I can't control you. Neither can I kill you. And I certainly can't leave you here to throw off my experiment. It seems I am left with only one option. Much as I regret it, I'm going to have to ask you to leave." 

"What?" asked the mutant, shocked. He didn't enjoy living in Chiaromon's palace and dealing with his berserk rages, but at least he knew what to expect. Better a known danger than an unknown. 

"You are hereby banished," said Chiaromon sternly. "Let me never see you again." 

"But where am I to go?" the mutant asked. 

"Anywhere, as long as it isn't here," Chiaromon replied. "Now, get going!" 

The mutant, fearful of his master's wrath, jumped to obey. Chiaromon watched him go. Then, as a thought struck him, he called out, "And take that teapot with you!" 

The mutant froze in midstep and turned around to see if his master was serious. He was. The mutant turned around again and began walking away, more slowly now. Chiaromon turned back to his prisoner, but his thoughts were elsewhere. 

"Too bad," he was murmuring. "I actually rather liked him..."


	3. Stories and Spirits

**Stories and Spirits**

**By: SilvorMoon**

"You're going to go bald if you keep that up." 

Kaiya turned and scowled at her partner, her brush still poised halfway through a handful of hair. She and Wingblade were in the guestroom of the Inoue apartment, each staring critically into a mirror as they tidied themselves up after a day of school. 

"Look who's talking, featherhead," she replied, turning back to her grooming. 

"Hey, don't get mad at me!" Wingblade replied, waving a comb in annoyance. "Just because I'm naturally good-looking..." 

"If you were naturally good-looking, you wouldn't have to color your feathers," answered Kaiya tartly. Wingblade blushed, and Kaiya grinned, knowing she had scored a point. "By the way, you ought to make another appointment at the salon; you need a new dye job." 

"Humph," said Wingblade. "And you're such an expert?" 

"On hair care, yes." 

Her tone was airy, but there was a bit of annoyance behind her words. No one but her partner could have gotten away with talking to her like that, and Wingblade must have known it, because he went back to his preening without further comment. Kaiya sighed and copied his example. Deep down, she had never really believed she was all that pretty, and her partner would haul out jibes on the subject if he thought he couldn't win an argument any other way. It wasn't that she was _ugly_ - no one with Ken Ichijouji's genes could have turned out badly - it was just that she wasn't all that distinctive, and it annoyed her no end. Even though he was old enough to have a teenaged daughter, Ken was still striking enough to turn heads, and Miyako attracted attention just by virtue of being a Digidestined. Beside them, Kaiya sometimes felt insignificant. She wished she could have at least inherited her father's stormy eyes. Instead, she had her mother's soft brown ones, which was not bad, but anyone could have brown eyes. Kaze was the one whose eyes flashed violet, the brooding color reflecting his personality. As for Natte, his eyes had never lost their pale baby blue, lighting up his innocent face. The one thing Kaiya had going for her was her hair, the same blue-black of her father's, and she made maximum use of it. She wore it down past her waist and emptied her pocket money on the best shampoos and conditioners, cultivating it into a curtain of midnight-colored silk. 

Still, there was only so much a girl could do. Sighing one last time at her reflection, she swept her freshly brushed hair into a ponytail and clipped it into place with a bird-shaped clasp, a birthday gift from Wingblade. He grinned his approval and fluttered down off of her dresser, though not after taking one last glance to make sure all his feathers were firmly in place. Kaiya grinned back and opened the door of her room. 

There was only a split second to register the fact that something was hurtling towards her, and Kaiya ducked just as the object veered out of her path. There was a squeal from Natte, but it was a squeal of laughter, and he dropped harmlessly out of the air to bounce into a nearby armchair. 

"That was fun!" he shouted. "Do it again, Papa Hawkmon! Fly me again!" 

"Not now, Natte," said Hawkmon, flapping to a landing in front of Kaiya. He bowed a bit to her. "I beg your pardon. Are you all right?" 

"We're fine," Kaiya replied. "Just watch where you're flying next time, okay?" 

"Of course," Hawkmon replied. He turned to eye Natte almost sadly. "He's growing so fast. It won't be long before I won't be able to carry him anymore, but by then-" 

"Hawmon," Miyako called from the kitchen, "could you come here and lend a hand?" 

"Coming!" he called. "Excuse me," he added to Kaiya, and then trotted off to see what Miyako wanted. There were muffled sounds of talk from the kitchen; it sounded like the woman of the house was giving her partner a scolding for something. 

"What's the matter with her?" asked Wingblade. 

"Who knows?" asked Kaiya, dropping carefully onto the couch. "Probably doesn't want Natte flying in the house. He _is_ getting kind of old for it, and it discombobulates the neighbors. Remember last month, when some lady from three floors up called shouting she'd seen him flying outside her window?" 

"But I like to fly," said Natte, and Crawler nodded in agreement. 

"Yeah, yeah, I know," said Kaiya. Ever since Natte had been old enough to crawl, he'd had a positive fascination with high places, and nothing delighted him so much as to have his "Papa Hawkmon" carry him on short flights. The divorce had finished not long after his birth, and Hawkmon had raised the child as if Natte was his own son. Kaiya sometimes wondered if Natte hadn't somehow wound up with the notion he was part bird himself. 

"Is Kaze home yet?" she asked, trying to change the subject. "He's usually home by now, isn't he?" 

"He's still at the thing," said Natte. 

"Kendo practice," Crawler clarified. "He said he'd be a bit late today." 

"I wonder what he's doing?" Kaiya mused. "I wanted to talk to him." 

"Why would you want to talk to Kaze?" asked Wingblade. "I wouldn't want to talk to Kaze if I were you. I'm not you and I _still_ don't want to talk to Kaze." 

"I know that," said Kaiya, "but we need to talk about... you know, the things Maro told us." 

"You're going to go back?" asked Crawler, eyes wide. "You really _want_ to go back? But it's dangerous!" 

"Right," Kaiya replied. "Maro told us that. Somebody's got to do something about it, and it's going to have to be us." 

"But we're just kids," Natte protested. 

"The Digital World's always been protected by kids," Kaiya replied. "Anyway, we were asked to help, so we should at least give it a try." 

Just then, the door swung open and hit the wall loudly enough to make everyone's head turn. Kaze was at the door, and he wasn't alone. 

"I'm back," he said. To the stranger, he added, "Come on in and watch the birds. They bite." 

"I do not!" said Wingblade, ruffling his feathers indignantly. 

The newcomer gave Wingblade a wide-eyed stare and shuffled a few paces away from him. She was a pale, frail girl, a bit shorter than Kaze. She looked, more than anything else, like a large porcelain doll that had learned to walk by itself. She had a waterfall of chestnut hair that reached nearly to her ankles, and her eyes were huge, fringed with long, dark eyelashes that made them seem shadowed. An Armadillomon sat at her feet, gazing around in sleepy contentment. 

"Hi, Kaze," said Kaiya. "Who's your friend?" 

"This," Kaze answered, with the air of someone showing off a museum exhibit, "is Hida Keiji. Keiji, this is my sister Kaiya. And that over there's Natte." 

"Greetings," said the girl with a polite bow. "I'm pleased to make your acquaintance." 

"Hello. It's nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you from Kaze," Kaiya replied, thinking, *_**This** is Keiji?_* 

Kaze, at age eight, was still possessed of the profound knowledge that all girls had cooties. As far as anyone could tell, there were only two exceptions to that rule. One was his older sister - there always seemed to be a guy hanging around her, so she must have been safe enough. The other was Hida Keiji, daughter of the famous Hida Iori. Everyone knew the elder Hida as one of the Chosen Children who had helped save the world nearly thirty years ago. More local people knew him as a brilliant defense lawyer, who would often take a case free of charge if he truly believed there was a need. However, Kaze's primary concern with the Hida family was the fact that, in his off-hours, Mr. Hida gave kendo lessons to children and the occasional Digimon. Kaze seemed to have a natural talent for martial arts, and his favorite sparring partner was Keiji, whom he spoke of with a kind of awe. From his descriptions of her, Kaiya had expected something like a feminine version of her brother, someone just a little on the dangerous side, not this dainty little wisp of a human. 

"Hi!" Natte chirped, scampering over to get acquainted. "Is this your Digimon? He's cute!" 

The faintest hint of a smile crossed the girl's pale face. "This is Speedbump. You can pet him, if you want." 

"Speedbump? Ha! That's funny. I like it," said Natte. "Mine's named Crawler. That's Wingblade. He's crazy." 

There was a stifled noise from Wingblade, but nothing more, because Kaiya had clamped her hand around Wingblade's beak. She held it there until he got the message, then let go to walk over to Kaze's side. He was glaring at Natte, who was happily petting Keiji's Armadillomon and chattering. Kaiya grabbed her oldest brother's elbow and hauled him into the corner. 

"What is she doing here?" Kaiya asked. "We were going to go back to the Digital World!" 

"I know that," Kaze replied, "but Maro didn't tell us to do it all alone. He told us to gather others, so that's what I've done. I brought you Keiji. She's a Digidestined child. She knows how to fight. She's smart. She can help us. You ought to be thankful." 

"Oh," said Kaiya, flushing with shame. "You're right. Sorry. Thanks, Kaze. I owe you one." 

Kaze nodded. "You are going to help, right, Keiji?" 

"Of course," said the girl, as if she'd been invited to a picnic. "It sounds fascinating." 

"It's going to be dangerous," Kaiya warned. 

Keiji nodded. "I know. I'm rather adept at self-defense." 

"She'll be all righ'. Tough girl, y'know. No worries," said Speedbump sleepily. "'Sides, I'll be pr'tectin' her." He yawned hugely and, to all appearances, curled up and went to sleep, his head propped in Natte's lap. 

"Is he always like that?" asked Kaiya. 

Kaze shrugged. "Why do you think she named him Speedbump? He never moves." 

"Wonderful," Kaiya grumbled. "I ask for help, and I get a little girl and a somnolent Digimon." 

"It's better than nothing," Wingblade replied. 

"If you don't want me, I'll leave," said Keiji. "I don't mind." 

"No, no, it's all right. We need all the help we can get," Kaiya said hastily. What else could she say? 

"Good," said Keiji. "I thought so." 

She smiled. It was an opaque sort of smile, revealing nothing, and Kaiya felt a small shiver run through her. Suddenly, her opinion of what Keiji could do went up several points. For just a second, there had been a glint in that girl's eyes that had hinted at powers Kaiya couldn't begin to fathom. 

"Can we go?" asked Natte. "I want to go to the Digital World again." 

"You want to do what?" called a voice in the kitchen. 

"Nothing!" said everyone in unison. 

"It didn't sound like nothing to me," said Miyako, striding into the room. "It sounded like you were talking about going back to the Digital World." 

"Can we, Mom? Please?" asked Kaze. 

"Absolutely not!" Miyako answered. "Don't you know it's dangerous? Anything could have happened to you last time, and I'm not letting you put yourselves in danger again! Is that understood?" 

There was quiet in the room. No one was willing to admit defeat, but defying Miyako was something one didn't undertake lightly. After a moment, there was the sound of someone clearing their throat. Everyone turned to look at Hawkmon. 

"Miyako," he said quietly, "do you mind if I say something?" 

"Of course not," she replied, but there was an undertone of wariness in her voice. 

"Thank you," he replied. "I think you're forgetting something. You were a child when you first entered the Digital World. It was dangerous then, wasn't it?" 

"Yes, but-" 

"But these are your children, and you don't want them to get hurt," Hawkmon replied. "But you can't protect them from being hurt forever. I'd like to see them have the chance to prove themselves. Besides, don't you think it's their right to challenge the Digital World? Their birthright?" 

Miyako considered that one. Then she sighed, visibly deflating. 

"All right," she said. "You kids can go - but on a couple of conditions." 

"Conditions?" asked Kaiya apprehensively. 

"Yes," said Miyako. "Conditions. Number one... Kaze, I know you won't like this, but you've got to promise to make sure Natte stays out of danger while you're there. Got it?" 

"Natte has to come?" asked Kaze, dismayed. "But he's a _baby_! He'll get in our way!" 

"He has to come with you," said Miyako, in a tone that said clearly that there would be no arguments. "The other condition... Well, we've got Ken and my kids, and Iori's... We ought to call up Takeru, Hikari, and Daisuke, and see if their kids would like to come. Then you'll have the whole team. I'll see if I can arrange it." 

Kaiya beamed. "Thanks, Mom! You're the best!" 

"That's debatable," Kaze muttered. He shot annoyed looks from his mother to Natte and back again. 

"I think it will be fun," said Keiji. "Don't you, Speedbump?" 

"'Tever you say," Speedbump mumbled. He rolled over and began to snore. Natte stared in surprise. Kaiya sighed. 

"Mom," she said, "can I ask you something?" 

"Of course, honey," Miyako replied, slightly puzzled. 

"These other kids... their Digimon move, right?" 

~*~

The sound of a ringing bell dragged Tasuke out of a sound sleep, and he rolled over with a moan, reluctantly abandoning his dreams for the reality of another day. It didn't even have the makings of a very good day, as far as he could tell. Even with his eyes closed, he could tell it was dark, probably rainy, which, to the star of his school track team, that he was going to have to lose an afternoon of practice, or at best, have to run in the mud and humidity. Furthermore, he felt like he'd barely had a wink of sleep, and the idea of going to school that tired was not one he liked. All that made its rather jumbled way through his head as he leaned over to try to shut off his alarm clock. He'd swatted the button a few times with no effect before he realized it wasn't his clock at all that was ringing, but the telephone. Furthermore, he realized now that it wasn't just cloudy, but truly black out. That woke him up; phone calls in the middle of the night meant either a crank call or trouble, and if there was trouble, Tasuke wanted to know about it. Somewhere down the hall, he heard muffled voices, and he got up and put his ear to the door to hear better. 

"Honey, get the phone," said his mother drowsily. 

"All right, all right, hold on," answered the man of the house. There was a shuffling noise as Tasuke's father got out of bed and made his way through the dark to the telephone, yawning. "_Moshi mo..._ I mean, hello? Motomiya residence, Daisuke speaking..." There was a pause, and then he lapsed back into Japanese. "Oh, hi! Listen, you've got to think about the time zones next time you call. It's the middle of the night!" There was another long pause, and then, "That bad, huh? I'd heard a little about it, but I didn't realize things had gotten that far out of hand... You think it's a good idea? ... Well, yeah, I guess I can't object. I mean, _we_ did just great when we were kids. ... No, it's not a problem at all. He'll think its fun. I'll go wake him up. Thanks for calling, Miyako. Bye!" 

Tasuke listened intently, trying to unravel what was going on. He knew his father had grown up in Japan, only to come to America to try to make it as a restauranteur. He'd meant to only stay long enough to make his fortune there, but had been convinced to stay after he'd met a pretty and vivacious young college student who had eventually become his wife. All that was ancient history, to Tasuke's way of thinking, but no one in the family forgot where Daisuke's roots were. All three of them spoke Japanese, though in varying levels of fluency, and not a week went by that Daisuke didn't make some kind of contact with his old Digidestined friends. They didn't usually call in the middle of the night, though, and it made Tasuke wonder, especially when they called to talk about him. 

He was interrupted in his ruminations when the door was pulled open and he was abruptly deposited on the floor. He pulled himself up off the carpet and looked up at his father. 

"Um, hi Dad," he said. "I was just, um..." 

"Eavesdropping," Daisuke supplied. 

"I wouldn't exactly call it that," said Tasuke quickly. "I just heard the phone ring and it woke me up and I wanted to know what was going on." 

"Same thing," answered Daisuke. "Lucky for you, this is your business, so I'd have had to tell you all about it anyway. I guess you noticed who I was talking to?" 

"One of your old friends from Japan, right?" 

Daisuke nodded. "Miyako. She was just telling me that some strange things have been going on in the Digital World lately. Her kids have already been there, and they're trying to round up another team of Digidestined to look into things. You remember them, don't you?" 

"A little," said Tasuke. "I remember Kaze. And there was a girl - I think her name was Kay, or..." 

"Kaiya," Daisuke corrected, "and Natte, but he was just a baby, so you probably wouldn't remember him. And they've already got Iori's daughter Keiji, and they've called Takeru and Hikari to ask if their kids can come..." 

Tasuke's eyes lit up. "You mean Mitsu's going to be there? Cool!" 

"You remember Mitsu?" asked Daisuke, surprised. "Boy, you've got a long memory. You haven't seen her in years." 

"Well... we've written back and forth a few times," said Tasuke, blushing a bit. "She's pretty cool, for a girl." 

"You think so, huh?" Daisuke replied, trying to cover a smile. 

"Don't laugh!" said Tasuke. "She's not my _girlfriend_ or anything. I just think she's cool." 

"At least you'll get along with your teammates," said Daisuke. "Most of them, at least. Anyway, I don't suppose you're up for a midnight adventure? Don't worry, I'll call the school and tell them you're sick or something." 

Tasuke beamed, seeming to light up the dark room. An adventure, skipping school, _and_ a chance to reacquaint himself with Takaishi Mitsu was better than what he'd been dreaming, by a long shot! 

"Can't wait!" he replied. He bounded over to his bed, where his Veemon partner was still sound asleep. "Hey, Savvy, wake up! We're going to the Digital World!" 

"Do we have to go so early?" Savvy groaned, trying to pull the blankets up over his head. 

"Hey, come on! You're supposed to like adventures." 

"I do. I also like sleep." 

"Too bad," said Tasuke. "Mai was going to be there... Betcha he's bringing his Gatomon along." 

A blue head poked out from under the sheets. "I'm awake!" 

Daisuke laughed. "Like father, like son, like Digimon. You two get yourselves ready to meet the others. I'll go see if I can scrape together something you can have for breakfast before you go, okay?" 

"Sure, Dad," said Tasuke, who was rummaging through a dresser drawer for a clean pair of jeans. 

Daisuke shrugged and walked out of the room, thinking over what was going to happen. In his day, he'd been the Digidestined of Courage, known for taking risks, sometimes ones so great as to seem foolish, grinning all the way. He might not have been known for being the cleverest boy alive, but he'd never have convinced anyone that there was anything he was afraid of. At the time, there hadn't been, and even now, no one would have believed seeing a trace of fear in him... which was why he was going to keep all his worries about his son to himself. 

~*~

Miyako came back into the living room, looking pleased with herself, and found the children sitting in a circle on the rug, obviously deep in discussions of what was going on in the Digital World and what they were going to do when they got there. She cleared her throat to get their attention. 

"What's up?" asked Kaze. "Are we leaving yet?" 

"Everything's all settled," Miyako answered. "I've called the others, and they've agreed on a meeting spot, somewhere far enough from Chiaromon's castle that he'll be less likely to notice you, but close enough that you can still get there if you decide that's where you need to go." 

"Thanks, Mom," said Kaiya. "I don't think we want to go there just yet, though. We need to know more about what we're up against before we do anything drastic." 

That seemed to calm Miyako, as it was meant to. "Good. I'm counting on you, Kaiya, to keep an eye on the younger ones, okay?" 

"We can take care of ourselves fine," said Kaze, and Keiji nodded in silent agreement. 

"That remains to be seen," Miyako answered. "You all be careful, and if anything goes wrong, you come straight home, okay?" 

"Sure, sure, no problem," said Kaze. "Can we go already?" 

"I guess you'd better. The others will be waiting for you," Miyako replied. "Bye, kids! Stay out of trouble!" 

"Silly thing to tell us," Wingblade mumbled, "since we're going looking for it." 

Kaiya shushed him. Taking her Digivice from her pocket, she called open a door and whisked the little group away. Miyako and Hawkmon watched until the blue lights had faded and the door was tightly closed again. 

"Well?" she said. "Do you think I acted concerned enough? It's hard to tell." 

"I think they were more interested in what they were doing than how you reacted," Hawkmon replied. 

"I know, but they would have noticed if I'd just said, 'bye, have fun,' and sent them off," she replied. "I wouldn't be much of a mom if I didn't act just a little worried about them." 

"And aren't you?" 

"Well, of course I am!" she replied. "But you and I both know they'll be just fine. These are Digidestined children, after all. This is what they were born to do. They'll be fine. And in the meantime," she added, grinning and looking suddenly sixteen again, "I've _finally_ got the house to myself!" 

Meanwhile, the children appeared on a grassy slope, looking around at the trees and valleys of the dazzling digital scenery. A lone Moosemon on the peak of a hill was startled by their arrival and headed for quieter areas, but nobody paid attention to it. Almost as soon as they'd landed, the accompanying flash of light had attracted the attention of a pair of other children who stood a few yards away, and everyone hurried to meet each other. 

"Hey, guys!" called Kaiya, waving to the newcomers. They waved back and grinned; Kaiya had been given the job of baby-sitting for both of them at various points in her life. "Does everyone know everyone? Meet Mai, Yuki, Mitsu, and Bubbles. Kids, these are my brothers, Kaze and Natte, and this is Keiji." 

"Pleased to meet you," said Keiji, bowing formally. She did it very gracefully for a girl as young as she was. 

"Likewise," said Mitsu, bowing back. Her Patamon, Bubbles, did a little dip in midair. 

"Hi," said Mai shyly, blushing a bit. Yuki cuddled up against him supportively. 

Mai and Mitsu could have been twins, as much as they looked alike. Both of them had golden hair, though Mai's was a shade darker, and he had his mother's brown eyes where Mitsu had her father's bright blue ones. Otherwise, in their round, innocent faces and their slender builds, they looked like siblings. Only someone like Kaiya who had known them for years would have paid attention to the subtle differences in stance that set them apart. Mai, son of the Child of Light, was a gentle, unassuming creature who craved attention but blushed furiously when he got it, seldom speaking without being first spoken to. On the other hand, Mitsu was outspoken, determined to get her way, and usually clever enough to do it. She had grown up listening to her father telling her stories of his adventures in the Digital World and had often talked about how much she wished she could have a few of her own. Now she looked positively electrified by being there, fidgeting like a restive horse. 

Kaze was looking around with a faintly puzzled expression. "Not that I care or anything, but shouldn't there be one more somewhere?" 

"You're right," said Mitsu, looking around. "Isn't Tasuke supposed to be coming?" 

"Tasuke?" Natte repeated. 

Kaze shrugged. "Some nutty kid who beat us all at tag last year." 

Natte looked sulky. "All the fun stuff happened when I was too little to remember." 

"He can come back and beat you again, if you want," Mitsu offered. 

Just then, there was a sound of footsteps rustling through the grass, and a newcomer lugging a bulky backpack came panting up to join the rest of the group, followed closely by a Veemon. Both of them came skidding to a halt. 

"Greetings from America!" he called, grinning. "Is everyone having fun here without me?" 

"Not exactly..." said Kaze. 

"I didn't think you could be," said the newcomer. "By the way, I'm Tasuke, and this is Savvy." 

"Hi, guys!" the Veemon chirped, waving to everyone. 

"Hi, Tasuke!" said Mitsu. "I was just telling everyone you'd be here soon." 

"You... were?" His breezy manner slipped just a bit; his eyes flicked briefly over her, evaluating how much she'd grown up since last they'd met, and he apparently liked what he saw. He blushed a bit and grinned foolishly. 

Meanwhile, his Veemon was scooting nearer to Mai, trying to get his Gatomon's attention. 

"Hey, Yuki," he said shyly. "Long time no see, huh?" 

"Good thing, too," said Yuki. 

"Ow!" Savvy keeled over on the grass, his hand over his heart. Mai leaned over him curiously. 

"Are you okay?" the boy asked. 

"He's just clowning around," said Tasuke. "Come on, get up, you're making a fool of yourself." 

"I guess that leaves everyone present and accounted for," said Kaiya. "If everyone doesn't know each other, you'll figure it out eventually. Does everyone know what we're doing?" 

Mitsu nodded eagerly. "Dad told me all about it. He says there's an evil Digimon in the forest using the Powers of Darkness to capture Digidestined. He's already got one, he said. We're supposed to be here stopping him." She looked positively radiant at the idea. 

"That's right," said Kaiya, nodding. "Though how we're going to do it, I really don't know. Any suggestions?" 

"I think we ought to go looking for that Maro guy again," said Kaze. "He seems to know a lot... more than he's telling us. I don't know if we can trust him, though." 

"I don't see why we can't," said Natte. "He's been nice enough so far." 

Mai looked apprehensive. "What's a Maro?" 

"We don't even know," said Kaze. "Just some guy we met." 

"He's a _ghost_!" said Larva in a dramatic whisper. 

"How do you know?" Kaze asked. 

The Wormmon shrugged. "Because he put his hand through a tree. Only a ghost could do that." 

"Cool!" Tasuke enthused. "I want to see a ghost!" 

"Me too!" Mitsu added. 

"Well, he is the only one we've met so far who seems to know what's going on around here," said Kaiya. "I wonder if we can find him again?" 

"I think," said a deep voice, "that it would be better if I found you." 

Everyone looked around for the source of the voice, but there was no one there... or was there? Even as they looked, a patch of air seemed to darken, taking on shape and solidity until it was distinguishable as a human. He never quite fully materialized, remaining faintly see-through and glowing violet around the edges. He looked slowly around at the circle of children and Digimon, giving them each a shiver as his dark, dark eyes locked on each of theirs for an instant. 

"There you are," said Kaiya. "We brought more Digidestined, like you told us to. Is this enough?" 

"It is a beginning," the man replied, still looking at them all speculatively. "I suppose you all are the children of the four New Digidestined? Yes, I can see the resemblances. You," he added, turning to Keiji. "You must be Hida Iori's daughter. Am I right?" 

"Yes, sir," she answered meekly. 

"I knew your father. He was a good man. A very good man," he repeated, his tone becoming almost scolding, and Keiji looked startled. However, his flash of - was it anger? - was gone in an instant, leaving his expression with nothing more than the faint melancholy that seemed usual for him. "I knew his father, too, and his grandfather. I suppose the old man has passed on by now?" 

"No, sir," said Keiji. "He's a bit stiff these days, but still alive and well, sir. He says it's because of all the prune juice he drinks." 

Did Maro smile at that? Kaiya was almost sure she saw a twinkle in his dark eyes. 

"Does he, now? Well, he is still a good man, despite any eccentricities. I'm no one to accuse the way another lives," he said. "Be sure to tell your father you've seen me. Tell him his father sends his regards. We don't get to see each other as much as we'd like, what with one thing and another, but Hiroki and I still manage to keep in touch." 

"You... you do?" asked Kaiya, her voice quavering. 

"Psst!" hissed Tasuke to Mitsu. "Who's Hiroki?" 

"Her grandfather," answered Mitsu, who didn't look all that steady herself. "He died when Keiji's dad was just a little kid." 

"Wait a minute," said Tasuke. "Am I being told that this fella's talking to dead guys?" 

"Of course I am," the man replied. "Who else would I talk to?" 

"Well, for starters," said Kaiya, "if you were a proper human, you'd have a Digimon companion." 

"Oh, is that worrying you? Let me put your mind at ease." 

The man turned and whistled loudly. Kaiya was surprised; she hadn't known ghosts could whistle. However, before she had time to ponder that idea, something came scampering through the grass and bounded into the man's arms, ignoring the fact that he was so immaterial that the grass at his feet passed straight through him as it blew in the wind. The creature was a small green Digimon, a Hatchling by the look of it, and was gazing up at the ghost-man with an expression of adoration. 

"Hi!" it squeaked. "Did you come to play with me? It's been a long time, and I _missed_ you!" 

"I've missed you too, little friend," the man replied, his somber face softening into a gentle smile, "but I'm afraid I can't play today. I did want you to meet some friends, though. Children, this is my partner, Pipimon." 

"It is?" Kaiya repeated. "Wait a minute, I've heard about this before... You must be Oikawa!" 

The man said nothing, but bowed his head in acceptance of the name. 

"You should have told us straight off, instead of lying to us," said Kaiya. 

"I know," he said, "but I wasn't sure how much you knew about me - wasn't sure how much you would trust someone who had done the things I have. I wanted time to try to make you trust me a bit first." 

"So you're Oikawa," said Kaze, stepping a bit closer for a better look. "Dad told me about you. He said you're the one who made the Dark Spores and Arukenimon and Mummymon, and tricked him into being the Emperor to make Spires for you." 

"He also said most of it was because he had Myotismon living inside of him," Kaiya pointed out. "You'd act a little crazy, too, if you had a demon in you." 

"Well, he didn't have to let it in in the first place," Kaze pointed out. 

"I don't deny that," said Oikawa. "All I can say is that I had no idea of the full implications of what I'd done - no more than your father knew what he was doing when he became the Digimon Emperor. Both of us made bad choices, but both of us were manipulated into making them." 

Kaze scowled. "You leave my dad out of this... but I guess it's okay. I mean, you made up for it, didn't you? You died to heal the world - that's what Dad said." 

Oikawa nodded. "I gave all of my strength to the land and became one with it. I exist here as a spirit, connected with the earth. It gives me some powers I never had before, but it makes me dependant on the land as much as it depends on me. I spend my time trying to protect it, nurturing it as best I can... but now Chiaromon has come. He is reawakening the Powers of Darkness from their long sleep, and I don't have enough power to stop him." 

"So you called us," said Kaiya. "All right, then. We're here. Now what do we do?" 

"I wish I could tell you," Oikawa replied. "I only know that you have a better chance of stopping this before it goes too far than anyone else. However, beware of weaknesses in yourselves and each other. Each of you have your strengths, but also the things that shadow you, traces of darkness that could be drawn out by such a skillful manipulator as Chiaromon. He glories in corruption - I'd even say that in a strange way, he's _addicted_ to it. He'll try to pull your dark sides to the surface. You must learn what your weaknesses are and how to defeat them." He looked at all of them, his seeming to see through them just as clearly as they could see through him. "For some, the battle will be more difficult than for others. Learn to trust each other. Put any disagreements you have aside. Keep in mind that you are doing this to save the Digital World, not for any kind of personal gain or to settle some vendetta - even good intentions can be used against you. Work as a team. Hold each other accountable." 

"I'm not working with that _thing_, no matter what you say." 

Oikawa turned his gaze on Kaze. "I told you once to learn forgiveness. You should also learn to seek truth. It is possible to be mistaken, and I am sensing that there is more to this story than what you know. Learn to forgive, and learn to understand where your anger comes from. Otherwise, it could prove a fatal weakness. If you cannot work with your brother, than you are a liability. He would do as well to refuse to work with you." 

Kaze blushed and dropped the subject. 

"That was lesson one," Oikawa continued. "The second thing I have to say is that you are not the only Digidestined to have come to this world recently. It came to my attention too late that three other children appeared here not long ago. I'm afraid they may have fallen into bad company, in the form of a Digimon called Ebon Angewomon. Her intentions are not evil, but her view of the world is distorted. I am afraid that whatever she will persuade them to do may not be good. If you see the other Digidestined, try to learn what they're doing and bring them to your side if you can. 

"The last piece of advice I can give you is to seek more advice. The one person who will know best what to do now is Gennai the sage. Chiaromon has gone to great lengths to stop him from being able to contact any of you, but I know how you can reach him. I will arrange a signal for you to follow that will lead you to him. Once you are there, I'll be able to hold the barrier open, but only for a while. If it stays open too long, Chiaromon will certainly notice." 

The other children nodded, looking serious. Some of them glanced at each other, as if searching for the weaknesses Oikawa had insisted they had, then looking away again. 

"I will help you in every way I can," he said. "The actual fighting, however, will be up to you. There is little I can do for you there, except... Well, perhaps there is something, but I'd need to consider it. Until then, good luck." 

With that, he faded out of view again. He took his Digimon with him. 

"Good trick," said Tasuke appreciatively. 

"Can we trust him?" Mitsu wondered. "I mean, he's done so many terrible things..." 

"He's all right," said Natte firmly. "We like him." Crawler nodded his agreement. 

"He's the best we've got," said Kaiya. "So... does anyone feel up to a trip to Gennai's house?" 

"I'd like to go," said Mai in his quiet voice. He giggled. "Mama said he's crazy. I want to see." 

"We might as well," Kaze sighed, as if going to see Gennai was about as exciting as a wait in the dentist's office. 

"Hear ye, hear ye! The oracle has spoken!" said Tasuke. "The ancient wise one says we might as well go to Gennai's house! All heed the mystic visionary!" 

Kaze scowled, and several of the other children began to giggle. Even Kaiya couldn't help smiling a bit. The tension was broken, and everyone set out in good spirits. 

*_It's going to work,_* Kaiya thought, looking around at her new teammates. *_We've got Kaze to fight for us, and Keiji - I think she could get through almost anything, if she tried. We've got Tasuke to make us laugh when we need it, and Mitsu to keep us energized. Mai may not let on much, but he's a smart kid. Wasn't his mother bragging to me about how good his grades are? And I guess I'm the leader. I can do that, I think. Oikawa's just as gloomy as Mom and Dad said he was. He's underestimating us. We're going to do just fine._* 

~*~

Daisuke rolled over and looked at the clock. It would be morning soon, there in America, time for him to get up and go to work, and he'd barely even gotten any sleep. It had been hours since he'd sent Tasuke into the Digital World with assurances that everything would be okay. However, that had been quite a while ago, and he still hadn't been able to convince that annoying little voice in the back of his mind that everything was not quite as nice and safe as he'd wanted to think. _He_ might have done this before, but that was a long time ago, under different circumstances. Tasuke was going into this without even an experienced mentor, whereas Daisuke had always had Taichi and Yamato to back him up. Even worse, though, was the thought of this new enemy, Chiaromon, some unknown power with powers unlike anything they'd reckoned with before. He'd already taken one Digidestined, one who should have known and been able to protect himself, and two more had only barely escaped. If even older, experienced Digidestined could be taken in so easily, people who had battled horrible things before and come out without a scratch, what was going to happen to a bunch of children? 

"Are you still awake?" his wife mumbled. 

"I can't help it," he said apologetically. "I keep thinking about Tasuke." 

"You aren't _worried_, are you?" 

"Who, me? No, of course not!" he answered. "I just wonder what's going on. He's out there having all the fun, and I'm going to be stuck going to work." 

"So don't go. This is a special situation. If there's really trouble in the Digital World, they'll understand." 

"Yeah..." said Daisuke thoughtfully. "That's not a bad idea. Maybe I'll just tag along - keep an eye on things and step in if things get out of hand. I knew there was a reason I married you." 

She giggled a bit. "Very funny. Just promise me you won't go looking for trouble, okay?" 

"Who, me?" Daisuke replied, giving her his most innocent look. She laughed again. 

"You can't fool me with that act," she said. "I know you too well. You'll probably jump into the first battle you come to. Just try to come home in one piece." 

"Of course I will," he answered. "How could I not, with you to come home to?" 

He leaned over to kiss her, and then woke his partner and began preparing for the trip. His wife settled herself more comfortably and began trying to finally go back to sleep. She wasn't worried. Daisuke would come back, just like the sun would rise in the morning, because that was just how Daisuke was. There was nothing that would ever get the better of him... 

Within a few minutes, Daisuke and Veemon had arrived in the Digital World, in the space that had been chosen as the children's rendevous point. There was no one there now, but there was a lot of trampled grass that showed someone had been there recently. Now, though, they seemed to have wandered off, and Daisuke couldn't tell which direction they had taken. 

"Where is everyone?" Veemon wondered, spinning around in circles to look at the empty plains. 

"I dunno," said Daisuke. He, too, stared at the scenery. 

To his left, the plains spread out in an endless wave of green. To his right, he could just barely see a dark smudge on the horizon that might have been the beginning of Chiaromon's forest. He fished out his Digivice and looked at it; the screen was showing him nothing but a hazy wash of energy. 

"This spot's got really bad reception," Daisuke muttered. "I can't see a thing... But I guess if they were looking for Chiaromon, that's the way they would have gone." He waved in the direction of the trees. 

"You think we should go there?" asked Veemon. "It looks kinda creepy to me." 

"We won't go far," Daisuke promised. He smacked his Digivice irritably. "Darn it! Nobody else had this problem... There's a bunch of energy readings all over this place - it's got this thing all confused. We need to get to clear ground so we can figure out where we're going." 

"I guess that's all right, then," Veemon acquiesced. 

They began to walk, Daisuke keeping a close watch on his Digivice. He was pleased to see that the further they went, the clearer the reception got. Eventually, he was able to pick up a definite reading of something standing straight ahead of him. He raised his eyes to look speculatively at the forest as it loomed closer. 

"Something's in there," he said. 

"I knew that," said Veemon. "Whatever it is, I don't like it." 

"What's your problem? You weren't afraid of things before. Not even MaloMyotismon had you scared!" 

"This is different. I don't know what's in there, but worse than that." 

Daisuke felt a shudder run down his spine, but he managed to hide it. "More reason to go looking for it. What if the kids are in there? You wouldn't leave Tasuke and Savvy and everyone in there with that... whatever it is, would you?" 

Veemon considered, then shook his head. "Guess not." 

Slowly, trying to hide their reluctance, they slipped into the shadows of the forest. The darkness fell over them like cold water, but even so, something in the darkness saw them. 

Sometime before, Chiaromon had been lurking around his throne room, staring pensively up at his portraits. He was annoyed, partly because he had missed out on the capture of two out of the three Digidestined that had come into his grasp, but he was even more bothered by the loss of his mutant. For all the creature's faults, it had also had some marked skills, things that no other Digimon in his employ could do. For one thing, the mutant was the only being who could control him when he went into one of his blood-rages, and the idea of being left without any control at all frightened him. He remembered some of the things he had done before he'd had the mutant to hold him in check, and he knew his powers had only grown since then. The damage he could do now he didn't even want to think about. Furthermore, the mutant had been, in his way, a very good servant, with skills at spying and entrancing. And... shameful as it was to admit, Chiaromon rather missed having a storyteller around. It had been nice to be able to forget himself for a while and lose himself in stories of someone else. Now he didn't even have that distraction to take his mind off his troubles. 

"Majesty?" 

Chiaromon jumped, jerked out of his thoughts by the arrival of a Gazimon, who looked understandably nervous. 

"What is it?" Chiaromon demanded irritably. 

"The Bakemon have brought a report," the Gazimon replied. "There is a Digidestined at the northern edge of the forest, moving in." 

"Interesting," said Chiaromon thoughtfully. "Which one? Did they get a description?" 

"It was a man with red hair, walking with a Veemon." 

For a moment, Chiaromon was quiet. Then he laughed, a slow chuckle that escalated into a wicked cackle, and his eyes flashed briefly red, making the Gazimon cringe. 

"Too good to be true!" Chiaromon crowed. "I had so hoped to get my hands on this one! Now is my chance to prove my worth!" 

"Should we bring him to you, majesty?" asked the Gazimon. 

"No," said Chiaromon. "No, I want this one to be all mine. I'll deal with him myself." 

He turned, fixing eyes that still glowed faintly on the dark portrait of Myotismon. 

"I'll make you proud," he said. He smiled, letting his own fangs glitter faintly. "Even more, I'll prove I'm even greater than you ever were." 

With a final wild laugh, he had left the fortress, flying on his clumsy wings across the forest to land in a tree and watch. 

He was rewarded not long afterwards by the sight of someone walking hesitantly across the forest floor. 

"Well, look what we have here?" he said lightly. 

Daisuke jumped, looking around until he caught a glimpse of whiteness that didn't look like it belonged in the dark forest, a bright angel wing that seemed equally unsuited to the person it was attached to. 

"You're Chiaromon!" he exclaimed. 

"And you are Motomiya Daisuke," Chiaromon replied. "You are, aren't you?" 

"What's it to you?" answered Daisuke warily. 

"Everything. I've been waiting a long, long time to meet you, Daisuke. As a matter of fact, you are the one person in all the world I've most wanted to meet... and here you are at last." 

"You don't know I'm who you say I am," said Daisuke. "I could be anybody, for all you know." 

"Not so. You see, I've made quite a study of you Digidestined. I wanted to know everything about you all. Your story particularly impressed me," answered Chiaromon. "I heard you were the only one who could stand up to MaloMyotismon. You were the only one who couldn't be manipulated by his dreams. Of all the people in the world, you were the only one without fear." 

"Yeah. So?" 

In reply, Chiaromon leaped from the tree limb and pounce, and Daisuke suddenly found himself contending with a crazed wild animal, something red eyed and clawed and fanged. The two of them struggled, Daisuke fighting for his life, Veemon trying to pry his partner free, and Chiaromon grinning maniacally. At last, Daisuke was able to wrench himself free, and the two split apart. Daisuke's shirt was torn at the shoulders where Chiaromon had used his claws, and he could feel scratches stinging on his skin. 

"What was that all about?" asked Daisuke. 

Chiaromon was still grinning. "There's fear in your eyes, Motomiya Daisuke. The Child of Courage is afraid I'm going to kill him. The Keeper of Friendship is a murderer." 

"What?!" Daisuke yelped. "What are you talking about? I never...!" 

"You killed my father," said Chiaromon. "You killed him, and you were proud of it? Don't you remember? You were there, laughing and celebrating. When you were offered anything, anything you wanted, all you could say was that all you wanted was to destroy him. Everyone _loved_ you for it. They called you the child with no fear, their savior. You can't have forgotten, not when you enjoyed it so much." 

"I... what? Wait a minute, are you saying your father was...?" 

"Myotismon," Chiaromon finished. "An unwanted child, true, but I still share in his blood and power. I will carry on his legacy. I will finish what he started. I will do what he never did. I will be the one who destroys the Digidestined and plunges the world into darkness, and there is nothing you can do to stop me." 

"You want to bet?" Daisuke snapped. "All right, I did destroy Myotismon, and I can do the same to you!" 

"No you can't," answered Chiarmon, smirking. "You've lost your edge, Motomiya. You're not what you used to be." 

"What do you mean by that?" 

"Look, and I'll show you." 

"Don't look, Daisuke!" Veemon yelped, jumping in front of his partner in an effort to protect him. "Whatever you do, don't look!" 

"Oh, are you frightened?" asked Chiaromon. "Tsk, tsk. Look what's become of you. There was a time when you didn't have to hide behind your partner, Daisuke. There was a time when you would have faced me gladly. I was right; you are afraid of me. I can see it in your eyes." 

"I'm not afraid of anything!" Daisuke shouted back. "Especially not you!" 

"Then face me." 

There was force in the words, tugging at things hidden in the back of Daisuke's mind and jerking them to the front. Daisuke looked, letting Chiaromon's blazing red eyes bore into him, filling the darkest corners of his heart with bloody light. 

"I was right," said Chiaromon softly. "You are afraid, aren't you? Don't worry; there's no shame in feeling fear. Didn't anyone ever tell you that?" 

"No," said Daisuke. "I - I'm not supposed to be afraid. Everyone says so. I'm the Child of Courage. When the others were all terrified, I didn't feel anything. I was never afraid, and no one would ever believe I _could_ be afraid..." 

"But you are," Chiaromon prompted. "It hurts to hold it inside, doesn't it?" 

Daisuke nodded. "I can never tell anyone, not Tasuke, not Renee, not the other Digidestined... all the people I'm supposed to be closest to, and I can never let them know." 

"Of course you can't. If you told them, they'd see you as the failure you are. That's what you're afraid of, isn't it? You always have to be the laughing clown for them. If you let them see how weak you've gotten, they would be ashamed of you. You'd lose them all if they knew what a weakling you are. What did you tell them when you came here? That you'd come to fight battles?" 

"And it wasn't true," said Daisuke miserably. "I came because I was afraid. I was afraid of Tasuke getting hurt. I was afraid of letting any of my other friends get hurt. What kind of Keeper of Courage can't even have confidence in his own son? What kind of Keeper of Friendship am I when all I do is lie to my friends?" 

"No kind," said Chiaromon. "But you're trapped. You lose whichever way you turn. Let me help you. I can take you away from your fear, from all the pain, away from all the people you can hurt and be hurt by..." 

"Yes," Daisuke sighed. "Please, let me out..." 

"No!" Veemon howled, but it was too late. Shadows pounced on him and surrounded him, locking him into a case of dark crystal. His eyes stared out into nothing, and his ears were deaf to his partner's anguished wails, and to Chiaromon's insane laughter. 

~*~

A shadow passed over Kaiya's head, and she looked up to see Wingblade flying in circles high up in the sky. He looked down, realized he was being watched, and turned a few loop-the- loops for her benefit. 

"Quit showing off," she scolded. "Do you see anything up there, or are those sunglasses blocking your vision?" 

"Nothing but grass and more grass," answered Wingblade, dropping out of the sky to land at Kaiya's side. "I think this Oikawa's leading us on a wild goose chase." 

"It's all right," said Keiji. "We just aren't near enough yet to see anything, even from up there." She held up her Digivice as evidence, its screen showing a pair of dots that were still a good distance apart. 

"You mean we're not there _yet_?" Natte asked. "But I'm tired!" 

"Crybaby," Kaze muttered. 

"I'm a little tired, too," Mai admitted, looking ashamed of himself. 

"And hungry!" Savvy piped up. 

"What? You just had breakfast!" said Tasuke. 

"No I didn't! We've been walking for hours!" the Veemon complained. "Let's stop and eat something, huh, can we, huh, huh?" 

"Do we have anything to eat?" Keiji wondered, looking around. 

"Of course!" said Mitsu, grinning. "Dad made sure I packed some snacks... for the Digimon, you know," she added with a wink. 

"Same here!" said Tasuke, tapping at his backpack. "Lots of healthy stuff, like potato chips and Hershey bars." 

"Candy!" squealed Bubbles happily. "Can I have some? Please?" 

Tasuke laughed. "Sure, there's enough for everyone!" 

He unzipped the pack and dumped its contents onto the ground in a brightly colored waterfall of chip bags and candy bars. Mitsu opened her own bag to reveal a selection of sandwiches in plastic wrap and a box of granola bars. 

"Bon apatite!" said Tasuke. 

There was a scramble as all the Digimon made a dive for the candy. The kids managed to grab their fair share and began settling in for a snack break. Kaiya watched, a bit disconcerted. Then she shrugged. 

"Oh, well," she said, laying claim to a granola bar (there wasn't much competition for them). "I guess we can afford a break. It's not like Gennai's going anywhere, from the way things sound." 

"Absolutely," said Wingblade, biting into a candy bar. He immediately got caramel all over his beak, sticking it shut. Kaiya giggled. 

"That's one way to keep you quiet. I'll have to remember that one." 

Meanwhile, Keiji, who didn't seem to be interested in the food, was busy prowling around their impromptu campsite. The area was a bit rougher than the grassy plains they'd been traveling through so far; a few bushes and trees sprouted to break up the monotony. Keiji investigated each one, peering into branches and squinting through clusters of leaves. Kaze watched her. 

"What are you doing?" he asked. 

"Checking," she said. "You never know what might be lurking around." 

"You think anything could hide under these?" asked Kaze, sounding more curious than scornful. He peered under a bush, but saw nothing. "These things are pretty small. It'd have to be a really shrimpy Digimon." 

"You never know," Keiji replied. She moved closer to one of the larger bushes and looked. Something must have looked back, because she suddenly yelped and jumped backwards, tripping over Speedbump and falling into the grass. 

"What's going on here?" asked Kaiya, coming to join them. She helped pick Keiji up, and the girl sat down on Speedbump's shell, still looking shaken. 

"There's something under that bush," said Kaze, pointing. 

"Really?" asked Keiji. "It's probably just a little Digimon. It's probably just as scared of you as you are of..." 

She trailed off. She had bent over to peer into the depths of the bush, and suddenly found herself looking into a pair of eyes. She could understand why Keiji had jumped; Kaiya had never seen eyes like this before, so intensely blue they glowed. For an instant, she was drowning, lost in a sea of warm blue light, drifting into a trance. For a moment, she felt so peaceful, so weirdly _happy_, she never wanted to break the gaze and look at anything else ever again. Then she realized that there was something in this gaze that was frightened. Why? Why would anyone be frightened of her? Puzzlement brought her back to herself. She blinked, and then she was seeing nothing but a pair of eyes again. 

"What... who...?" she stammered. She wanted to ask something, but it escaped her what it might be. 

In response, whatever owned the eyes cringed away, hiding itself deeper in the shadows, whimpering faintly. 

"Don't do that," said Kaiya. "Come out where we can see you. We aren't going to hurt you, I promise." 

The thing under the bush seemed to consider. Then, in some way no one could quite see even though they all were watching, someone stepped into view. It had the basic form of a human man, but it was obviously no such thing. No human would have such pale skin, pure white on what little of his face they could see beyond the mask that covered it. Its eyes were too large for a human's, and still glowed faintly in the sunlight. His hair was a bright royal purple, falling gently to his shoulders, and he was dressed in a most peculiar costume that still somehow suited him; it was hard to imagine him wearing anything else. A pair of wands were strapped to his back, tipped on either end with crystal spheres. He finished extricating himself from the bush and began fastidiously picking leaves and twigs off of his clothing. Everyone stared; the bush appeared to be too small to have hidden him. 

"Who or what is that?" asked Tasuke. 

"I know what it is!" Mitsu exclaimed. "I've seen pictures! That's a Piedmon!" 

The whatever-it-was, which had been fairly calm until now, shrieked and dove back into the bush. It sat there trembling, its eyes shining out of the foliage like Christmas lights. 

"What was that all about?" Tasuke wondered. 

"Now look what you've done! You scared him!" Kaiya scolded. She knelt next to the bush. "It's all right. She's just a little confused, that's all. Come on, you really don't want to stay under there, do you?" 

Very slowly this time, the creature inched back into view. It had its hand pressed to its heart, and was breathing rather unsteadily. 

"Please don't do that to me," he said. His voice was pleasant, Kaiya noted distractedly, though it had a definite quaver of fear to it. 

"It's all right, she won't," said Kaiya soothingly. 

"Hey, I know what that is!" Natte piped up. "That's the thing that Dad saw!" 

"The what?" asked Mai. 

"Our dad got caught by Chiaromon," Kaze explained, "but this guy set him free. You are the one, aren't you?" he asked, turning to the mutant. 

"Um," it said. "Oh, are you Ichijouji Ken's children? I wasn't aware he had any... But yes. He traded me a story for his freedom. He was kind to me. I was pleased to have been able to help him." 

"That explains it," said Crawler. "He doesn't like for people to say _that name._" 

"What name?" asked Savvy. 

"The one Mitsu said to make him jump under the bush," Crawler replied. 

"Yeah, this guy's one of Chiaromon's people," said Kaze, looking at him suspiciously. "What are you doing out here? You'd better not be up to something." 

The mutant backed up a few paces, intimidated by Kaze's piercing glare. 

"I assure you, I mean no harm," he said, holding up his hands as if to shield himself. "Chiaromon has dismissed me for freeing your father. I'm not his creature any longer." 

"Oh," said Kaze. "Well... I guess that's okay, then. Dad said you were all right." 

"Did he?" asked the mutant, looking pleased. "I hardly thought I was worth remembering..." 

"So you're just on your own now?" asked Mai. "Chiaromon doesn't want you anymore? He just sent you away? That... that's terrible..." 

"It's not so bad," said the mutant. "I managed to beg a meal from some Motimon, and there isn't much that can hurt me, so I'm safe enough." 

"But it must be lonely," Mai persisted. 

That struck a nerve. The mutant nodded sadly. "It is that." 

"Well, why don't you hang out with us for a while?" Kaiya offered. "We owe you one for setting our dad free." 

The mutant blushed. "Oh, I couldn't impose on you..." 

"It's not an imposition," said Keiji. "Come on. Have a sandwich; we've got lots." 

The mutant appeared a bit overwhelmed by the hospitality; he blushed furiously, murmuring words of gratitude as they led him back towards the campsite. 

"Hey," said Tasuke. "We didn't get your name." 

"I haven't got one," the mutant replied, looking crestfallen. "Chiaromon never gave me one, and you know I don't like being called... that other thing." 

"That's no good," Tasuke said, shaking his head. "We've gotta call you something if you're going to hang with us. Anybody got any ideas?" 

"How about 'Marcel'?" Keiji suggested. 

"Marcel?" Savvy repeated. "What kind of a name is Marcel?" 

"It's a good name," said Keiji. "There was a famous mime named Marcel Marceau... famous for a mime, anyway." 

"It works for me," said Tasuke. "What do you say? Is it good enough for you?" 

The mutant was silent for a moment, repeating the name to himself, testing it. Then he smiled. 

"It's _perfect,_" he said. "I can't possibly thank you enough..." 

"It's just a name," said Mitsu, looking surprised at his enthusiastic reaction. 

"How would you like to have lived your entire life as 'hey, you'? How would you like to have never had an identity? What if the only name that can be applied to you is the thing you loathe most deeply?" 

Mitsu was struck silent. The mutant took his piercing gaze off of her, and she relaxed. 

"You have done me a great favor," he continued, sounding cheerful again. "Out of your generosity, I have an identity. I am no longer Chiaromon's creature, but yours. Any service I can provide for you will be given gladly." 

He bowed to them all, a low sweeping bow like an actor or a courtier, ending with his head so low that his hair brushed the tips of the grass. 

"Wonderful," muttered Wingblade. "We've acquired a clown. Lots of good that's going to do us." 

"Hush," said Kaiya. "You don't look a gift horse in the mouth... even if it's a really _weird_ horse." 

The other children didn't seem to be quite as skeptical as Wingblade was. Most of them seemed quite glad to have the colorful character there - Mai in particular seemed fascinated with him, staring at him as though enthralled. Keiji offered him an apology for frightening him, as well as what little was left of the snacks, and he accepted both as if he'd been given the Nobel Prize. Tasuke was taking it all in stride, but he probably would have taken a supernova without batting an eyelash; he was making Mitsu laugh by imitating Marcel's courtly manners. Kaiya looked around and decide that nobody was going to go anywhere for a while, not while they were having so much fun interrogating their new friend, so she began prowling around the campsite. After all, if this colorful character had been hiding so close by, what else might be there? However, she was only a few minutes into her investigation when she became aware of someone's gaze resting on her. She turned around to find Marcel was staring at her with an expression of fascination. 

"What are you looking at?" she demanded. 

"Oh, I'm sorry. Was I being rude?" asked Marcel, blushing with shame. "Please forgive me. It's just that, well... In his throne room, Chiaromon has a portrait of an Angewomon. Until now, I'd never realized there could be anyone else so beautiful." 

There were sniggers from the younger children, and Kaze laughed until he turned pink. Kaiya blushed furiously. Marcel looked around in utter astoundment. 

"Did I say something wrong?" he asked. 

"Kaiya's got a new boyfriend!" Kaze laughed. "A _Digimon_ boyfriend!" 

Kaiya stared at him; she couldn't pinpoint just what it was, but she was picking up something that was vicious, even strangely victorious, in the taunt. She was sure he was giving her a superior look. 

"It's okay, Marcel," said Mai, trying to comfort him. "They're just being stupid." 

"I really have said something wrong," said Marcel miserably. "Please, please forgive me. I never meant - I wouldn't have dreamed of-" 

"It's okay," said Kaiya quickly. "You couldn't help it. You really don't know much about how people behave, do you?" 

Marcel shook his head, still looking deeply ashamed. 

"Then it's not your fault," she said. "You couldn't possibly know, so they're being rude for laughing at you. They're the ones who should be apologizing." 

Actually, Kaiya was feeling very annoyed with the mutant; he should have had the sense to know that people just didn't say things like that in public, but there was no possibility of not forgiving him. The poor thing looked like he was about to cry. 

*_Funny,_* she mused. *_I think this is the first time I've ever had to forgive anyone for telling me I'm beautiful..._* 

"Why does Chiaromon have a portrait of an Angewomon?" Keiji asked, mercifully changing the subject. "I'd have thought he'd have pictures of monsters or something." 

"Oh, he has that, too," answered Marcel, as if he, too, were glad to have something else to talk about. "Two portraits hang on either side of his throne. One is of the Lord of the Undead, Myotismon, and the second is of Angewomon." 

"But why have the angel at all?" asked Mai. "Isn't Chiaromon... well, you know... evil?" 

"Chiaromon is very interested in evil," Marcel replied, "and very interested in good. His greatest fault, I think, is that he can't choose between them." 

"You mean he can't make up his mind whether he wants to be good or not?" asked Tasuke. 

Marcel shook his head. "No, I mean he truly _cannot_ choose. It's all very complicated... but that's not a story for children." 

There is nothing that makes children want to hear something as much as being told they shouldn't. The moment the words left Marcel's mouth, a clamor rose up from the group, begging to hear the story anyway. Marcel looked taken aback. 

"Are you sure?" he said. "It isn't very pleasant. I don't care for it much, myself." 

"Come on! You can't just wind us up like this and then not say anything," said Tasuke. "We may be kids, but we're not stupid." 

The sight of so many wide, pleading eyes was too much for the clown, and he gave a sigh. 

"All right," he said, settling himself cross-legged on the grass. "I'll tell the story. Gather around, please." 

Everyone did as they were told, making a circle around the storyteller. Marcel closed his eyes, gathering his thoughts, and then began to speak. Kaiya was surprised. The uncertain quaver in his voice vanished for the first time since she'd met him, he seemed to sit taller, moving his hands in graceful, confident gestures as he spoke. It suddenly became very hard to look away from his eyes. 

"Long ago," he began, "when the Digital World had yet to be freed from the Dark Masters and their minions, and terrors still roamed the land freely, the Demon Lord Myotismon met an Angewomon living at the far edge of the forest. Some say he was simply infuriated to find something so pure and good living so close to his domain. The romantics say that even he couldn't resist her grace and beauty. Whatever the reason, one day he appeared at her home and asked her to come with him back to his castle. When she would not be persuaded by charm or demands, he attacked her, and then left her to live or die as she would. 

"As it happened, she did not die, but she was plunged into a deep despair. They say she lost her mind for a while, but some months later, she gave birth to a son, and her own innate goodness was enough to bring her to her senses again to help her care for the child. She named him Chiaromon, for _chiaroscuro_, the eternal interplay of light and shadow. He became her reason for living, and for the years when he was growing up, their lives were peaceful. 

"Unfortunately, the blood of his father was still in him, and with it, some of Myotismon's power, and as the child aged, that power grew. As long as he was at peace, the darkness in him remained latent, but whenever he grew angry or unhappy, the powers within him would break free, and he would attack anything near him in an insane rage. He tried to keep them under control, but every time he lost control of himself, the rages would grow fiercer. In the end, he lost himself so completely that he killed his own mother as she tried to restrain him. When he saw what he had done, he knew that the darkness inside of him was too great for him to fight. Instead, he left his home to rebuild the empire of his father and finish Myotismon's work. And yet, the Powers of Light remain in him as much as the Powers of Darkness - just as he can never become fully good, so can he never sink fully into darkness. His obsession is to prove, once and for all, if one can truly overcome the other, so he can know with certainty that his choice was the right one. Hence, his Great Experiment. Such is the story, for all to know." 

"So... this whole thing with chasing our parents around," said Kaze slowly, "is just so he can prove a point?" 

"That's dumb!" said Mitsu angrily. "Everyone knows good always outweighs the Powers of Darkness!" 

"Chiaromon doesn't know that," Keiji answered thoughtfully. "He really doesn't have much to measure against. If your life had been like his, you would think the Darkness was stronger, too." 

"Well, it's not," said Mitsu. She crossed her arms stubbornly. 

"It's a true story," Marcel said. "Chiaromon told most of it to me himself, and I've heard it from several others as well. He keeps portraits of both his parents in his throne room and talks to them as if they're alive. They're his symbols - male and female, day and night, good and evil." 

"Sounds like he's got a few screws loose," Tasuke opined, and Savvy nodded his agreement. 

Marcel shrugged. "He's always treated me well enough. I interested him, I think, because I'm so far away from the Darkness. Sometimes he was almost friendly towards me." 

"Well, I hope you're not too attached to him," said Kaiya, "because we're not about to sit down and say, 'Oh, poor Chiaromon,' while he goes kidnaping our parents. We're going to find a way to put a stop to this mess, just like our parents stopped Myotismon." 

"You plan to destroy him?" asked Marcel. "I don't suppose even Chiaromon would object to that. Death is something else that interests him," he added grimly. 

"Guy sounds like a real barrel of laughs," said Kaze. "Are we going to sit here and talk all day, or are we going to go look for Gennai?" 

"I think we're going," said Kaiya. "Clean up, guys. Time to hit the road again." 

As the kids began picking up candy wrappers and Keiji set about trying to wake Speedbump, Kaiya ambled over to Marcel's side. 

"You wouldn't happen to know any other stories, would you?" she asked. "You know, more cheerful ones?" 

"But of course," he answered. "It's been the work of my life, collecting them. The other Digimon in Chiaromon's castle used to give them to me in exchange for helping them with their chores." 

"Oh," said Kaiya. "Well, I was wondering, do you think you could tell a few to the kids? You know, to keep them occupied. The young ones aren't liking all this walking; you might be able to take their minds off their sore feet." 

"It would be a privilege," Marcel replied. "Does this mean you aren't angry with me for what I said?" 

"What, that? No," answered Kaiya. "Mistakes happen. Just... next time you want to say something that personal, say it in private, okay?" 

"I will," he answered. 

He gave her another one of his strangely penetrating looks, and Kaiya was momentarily disoriented until he looked away again. Glowing eyes, she decided, were very disconcerting. She went to find somewhere else to be. 

"Talking to your new boyfriend, Kaiya?" asked Kaze, still giving her that smug leer that looked so disturbing on his young face. 

"Shut up," said Kaiya. 

"Kaze, don't pick on her," said Larva plaintively. "You know it's not the way you say it is. Why don't you just leave her alone?" 

"You don't think it's the way I say it is?" he asked. "After the way Mom acted, I don't see why Kaiya shouldn't do the same thing." 

"You leave Mom out of this," said Kaiya. "She didn't do anything wrong, and neither have I." 

"If you say so," answered Kaze. He turned around and stalked away, with Larva looking unhappily over his shoulder. 

"He doesn't mean it!" the caterpillar said. "Really!" 

"What was that all about?" Kaiya asked Wingblade. 

"I dunno," the bird replied. "Sometimes I think if Kaze can't think of a reason to be obnoxious, he just makes one up." 

"Maybe," said Kaiya. "But I still think he knows something he's not telling. Hm. I wonder..." 

She looked speculatively at Natte, who was chatting with Mai at the edge of the group. Kaze had spent the last few years calling Natte a freak, treating him like a monster, but this was the first time Kaze had been really hostile towards her. Usually he just treated her like she was someone he was trying to inform of some danger she was too stupid to see. Now he was giving her the same look he usually reserved for his younger brother, and she wasn't sure why. Just because Marcel might possibly have a crush on her? Or... because a Digimon might have a crush on her. He had stressed that; it must mean something to him. And then that jibe about her mother. She knew her mother had been a bit notorious for chasing guys when she was young, but she hardly acted that way now - even now that she was divorced, she hardly ever went out. She seemed perfectly content to spend time with her children and Hawkmon and visit Ken on weekends. But then again, Kaiya thought, still staring at Natte, if you added everything up, didn't it look like Kaze was hinting that...? 

*_No, that can't be it,_* she thought, shaking her head at the absurdity. *_That's just impossible. I'm just letting my imagination run away with me._* 

"Hey, wait for me!" she called, hurrying to catch up with the group. 

They walked. It was, for the most part, a peaceful journey. The weather was still clear and warm, the terrain gentle, and Marcel kept them all amused by his recitation of a Tanemon epic about a young Yuramon who set out to seek her fortune and eventually became a Rosemon, the queen of the flowers. Everyone seemed glad to have him as part of their little band; even Kaze quieted down and paid attention to the story. The mutant was a good storyteller, Kaiya had to admit. He told everything as if he had been there himself, or as if he were actually watching it happen, nearly crying at the tragic parts and getting as excited over victories that the listeners could forget that there had never been any question that the heroine would win. Yet Kaiya had a notion that there was something more than talent going on. She was rapidly becoming convinced that, wittingly or not, some kind of hypnotic force was being exerted. Marcel truly did love these stories he was telling, to the point where it seemed to spill out onto his audience, inviting them to share in his emotions. It was very difficult to think about anything else while he was talking. It was also, Kaiya discovered, difficult to try to look in his eyes and walk at the same time. The first time she tried it, she nearly tripped over Speedbump, and the second time, she almost walked into a tree. After that, she kept her eyes on her Digivice... but at least the stories were doing what they were supposed to. Not once did anyone complain that they were bored or their feet hurt. 

Eventually, they came to a forest - not a dark one like Chiaromon's forest, but a sunny one full of oak trees and wildflowers. The going began to get more difficult as they picked their way through the roots and shrubs, but their maps showed that they had nearly reached their destination, so they pushed on doggedly. 

"I think we must be almost there," Mai's Gatomon, Yuki, opined. "I smell something that wasn't there before... a presence, or a power." 

Mitsu's Patamon fluttered his ears and rose into the air, trying to get a better look. 

"What do you see, Bubbles?" Mitsu asked. 

"Nothing," said Bubbles, sounding puzzled. "But I thought I heard something... It should be _right there,_ and it's not!" 

Marcel paused, looking worried. "I sense danger here." 

"Well, I sure don't see any," said Kaze. "I think you all are just scared of shadows." 

Marcel wasn't listening. Looking frightened but determined, he took one of his wands and aimed it at the air in front of him, ordering, "Come out and show yourself!" 

The tip of the wand glowed, and there was an answering glow within the shadows. Several of the shrubs and saplings nearby suddenly began to warp as if melting and became a fleet of ghostly Bakemon. Marcel took one look at them, with their staring eyes and jagged teeth, gave a shriek and dove out of sight. 

"Great! He calls for trouble and lets us deal with it!" Kaze muttered. 

"Well, deal with it already!" Tasuke replied. 

And since there didn't seem to be any other choice, that was exactly what they did. The Bakemon gibbered and whooped as they closed in on their intended prey, only to find themselves blown away again, courtesy of a volley of air shots from Bubbles. Wingblade tossed a feather around like a boomerang, keeping an area clear for Kaiya and Natte. Kaze and Keiji, not content to let their Digimon do all the fighting, seized hefty sticks from the forest floor and stood back to back, battering at anything that came too close. Even shy Mai stood firm, urging his partner onward as Yuki ripped shreds off of the already ragged ghouls. Even so, it wasn't enough. The monsters kept coming, lashing out with their scabrous clawed hands, battering Digimon left and right. Then, just when it looked like things couldn't get any worse... 

"Hold it right there!" said an authoritative voice - a female voice - high above everyone's heads. Children and ghosts alike turned to look. Standing at the base of a nearby tree was a strange man in blue, who was directing their attention to a branch above him. There stood a woman, dressed entirely in red, with long, silver-white hair streaming out in the wind. The man in blue looked at everyone and grinned at their astonishment. 

"Ladies and gentlemon," he announced, "back by popular demand, I give you - Arukenimon!"


	4. The Charms of Angels

**The Charms of Angels**

**By: SilvorMoon**

The Kido apartment was quiet. Too quiet, even for quiet-natured Oki's taste, and he lurked guiltily in his room, as if afraid just venturing out would disturb some precariously balanced catastrophe and send it crashing down on them. The apartment certainly had that feel; his mother hadn't reacted well to the news of what had happened to Jyou, and even now she kept crying at odd moments. She hadn't even told Oki to go to school, which was just fine with him. He wasn't sure he could concentrate anymore, not on schoolwork. 

*_I've got to go back,_* he told himself, staring out the window. *_I know I have to go back. I just don't really know why._* 

His rational mind was telling him that of course he knew, it was obvious what he had to do, and why was he worrying about it? He was going to save his father. It had been ingrained into him since he was a child that when someone close to you was captured by the villain, you went and saved him. That was how all the stories went. He couldn't understand why he wasn't ready to rush out there right now and challenge Chiaromon to a duel or something. But that impulse wasn't there. He wanted to go to the Digital World, that was for sure. He wanted to have a few adventures, and maybe spend some time with Kata and Mary. And he wanted his mother to be happy again, of course, but... 

"This is boring!" Nami complained. "Why are we sitting here being bored?" 

"What else are we going to do?" Oki replied. 

"Well, we could watch the paint peel, or maybe go find some grass to watch growing," suggested Nami. "Seriously, if you sit there at that window any longer, you're going to start catching dust." 

Oki sighed. "You're probably right. Hm." 

He got up and paced the floor a bit, thinking. Then he walked out of the room and went looking for his mother. She was in the kitchen, sitting at the table with a cooling cup of tea and a distant expression. 

"Hey, Mom," he said, "do you know where I can find the Ishida's phone number? I want to talk to Kata." 

"Hm?" she said vaguely. "Oh. It's in the address book by the phone." 

"Of course. Thanks, Mom." 

Kata found the book and flipped through it, and then dialed the number. The phone rang once, twice... and then was quickly snatched up. 

"Hello?" said a woman's anxious voice. 

"Is this the Ishida residence?" asked Oki. 

"Oh, um, yes. This is Mrs. Ishida speaking. May I help you?" 

"Yes, I'd like to speak to Kata, please." 

"Oh," she said, sounding mildly surprised. 

A voice in the background that Oki recognized as Mr. Ishida's called, "Who is it?" 

Sound of a hand muffling the phone. "It's a boy. He says he wants to talk to Kata." 

"I'll bet its Oki. I'll go see if I can pry Kata out of his shell." 

The hand was removed. "He's coming. Could you hang on, please?" 

"Sure," said Oki, feeling a vague smile as he imagined what the scene playing out in the Ishida house must look like. He remembered what it had been like last time he'd wanted Kata just to open his door for a few minutes. After a long moment and some muffled conversational noises, the phone was answered again. 

"Hello?" said Kata, in the tones of one who is never called on the phone and not sure what to make of it. 

"Hey, Kata, it's me, Oki." 

"Oh! Hello." 

"Yeah," said Oki. He was suddenly realizing what a chore it was going to be to try to engage Kata in a telephone conversation. "Listen, it's really depressing over here today. Do you think it would be okay if I came over again today?" 

"Hm," said Kata, thinking it over. "I suppose we could do that. I guess." With a slight brightening of tone, he added, "You can meet my sister. I think you'd like her." 

"Sister?" Oki repeated. 

"You know, don't you? I have an older sister, Aiko." 

"Oh, yeah, that's right! I think I heard Dad mention her once or twice." 

"You should meet Aiko," said Kata positively. "Besides, I want to talk." 

Oki quenched the urge to remark on the novelty of Kata wanting to talk. "I'll see if I can convince my mom to take me over, then." Glancing at his mother, who was still gazing off into space, he corrected, "Better yet, I'll take the bus. I'm not sure Mom's in good shape for driving." 

"That bad?" asked Kata, a faint trace of concern in his normally emotionless voice. 

"Yeah," Oki sighed. "That's why I've got to get out of this house. Can you ask your parents if I can come?" 

"You must be kidding. Me, asking if someone can come over? They'll think I'm having a breakdown." 

"Well, this is all weird, you know? Your dad almost got captured by a whatever yesterday. You ought to be acting strange today." 

"All right. Hang on." 

There was a clattery noise of the phone being set on the counter, and then muffled speech noises. Kata came back. 

"They say you can come," he said. "Dad wants to go out today, anyway, to talk to Mr. Yagami. For some reason they think I'll be safer with you around than not, even if you did let me wander into another dimension last time you were here." 

"Um. That wasn't entirely my fault," said Oki. "Anyway, I'll be there soon. Don't do anything interesting without me, okay? Bye." 

"Bye, Oki. See you later." 

Oki hung up the phone feeling pleased with himself. He went back into the kitchen. 

"I'm going to go out for a little while," he said. "I'll be back in a few hours. Is that okay?" 

"You aren't going out alone," she said, snapping out of her trance with a shocked flash of eyes. 

"I won't be alone," he said. "You know I'll have Nami with me. And I'm just going to visit Kata at the Ishida's place. Nothing dangerous. Really." 

She looked at him as if she didn't quite believe him. Oki's expression softened. 

"It'll be okay," he said. "I just want someone to talk to, that's all." 

"Promise me you won't go back to the Digital World," she said. 

"Don't worry, I won't," he said. 

"Are you sure?" 

"Of course I'm sure! I'm not crazy. I don't want to be nabbed by that Chiaromon guy any more than you want me to be. I'll be fine." 

"Well... all right," she relented. "Do you need me to give you a ride?" 

"No, I'll take the bus. Thanks anyway, though. I'll see you later, okay?" 

"All right, honey. Take care." 

"You too. Drink your tea before it gets cold." 

"Hm? Oh." She stared woefully down at her drink. Oki slipped quietly out the door with a final halfhearted wave. 

"You know, I'm kind of glad that's over," he said to Nami as they were walking down the hall. "Poor Mom. I feel sorry for her, but still..." 

"So you're leaving your cheerful mom to hang out with your sociable friend," said Nami. "Boy, you're a fun guy. I'm glad I hang out with you." 

"Oh, can it," said Oki. "You wanted to get out and do something, and now we are. Quit complaining." 

"I know why you're going out," Nami said. "You wanna see that cute girl again." 

"I do not!" 

"You don't want to see her again? I'll tell her that next time we see her." 

"I'm going to replace you with a Gotsumon!" 

Nami only laughed, and Oki sulked his way to the bus station. That cheered him up a bit - he liked riding on the bus. People recognized that he was the son of one of the famous Chosen Children and scooted over to make room for him. One girl even smiled at him, and he offered a absentminded smile back before turning to look out the window. Distracted as he was today, he wasn't sure even Mary could have gotten his attention for very long, and she was about the most distracting thing he'd ever seen. He was very quiet until he arrived at his stop and made his way to the Ishida apartment. He rang the doorbell and stood there waiting, listening to the noises going on inside. Eventually footsteps came close, and the door was opened. 

"There you are," said Kata. "I was waiting." 

"The bus was slow," said Oki. "The bus is always slow. You know that." 

Kata gave him an incredulous look. "I don't _do_ busses." 

"They're too crowded," said RB. "Crowds make him nervous." 

"No they don't," said Kata. "I just don't like busses." He gave his partner a glare, and RB looked sheepish. 

"Ah," said Oki. "Anyway... can I come in?" 

"Oh, sure." Kata backed away, letting Oki through the door. 

Oki went in. There seemed to be a bit of commotion going on - Mr. Ishida was darting around looking for things, while his wife watched him with an expression of puzzlement. 

"Where did I put that notebook?" he was muttering. 

"It's over there on the shelf." 

Yamato looked up, confused. "What's it doing over there? I didn't put it over there." 

"Yes," said Sora. "You put it on a chair and then dropped your coat on it, so I took out the notebook and put it where you could find it." 

"I knew exactly where it was," said Yamato, going to the shelf and retrieving the missing notebook. "Now that that's done, tell me where you hid my coat." 

Sora laughed. "I didn't. Aiko decided to be helpful and put it in the closet where it belongs." 

"What's going on?" Oki asked Kata. 

"I thought I already told you," Kata replied. "Dad is going to see Mr. Yagami, and he's taking along all the information he's been able to find on Chiaromon, so they can talk about what to do about him. Do you think it will do any good?" 

"Maybe," said Oki. He felt a sudden fleeting hope that maybe Mr. Yagami and Mr. Ishida would rescue his father for him and he wouldn't have to go through all the trouble. His stomach gave a guilty wrench. 

"Hey, now that you're here," said Kata, "do you want to meet my sister? I told her you were coming. She wants to meet you, I think. It's hard to tell." 

"What do you mean by that?" Oki asked. "Should I be worried?" 

"No," said Kata. "Aiko's wonderful. She's just... vague." 

He led Oki up a hall and knocked on a door. There was a plaque hanging on the door, a heart painted pink, with Aiko's name painted across it in graceful gold letters, with a few decorative roses here and there. He stared at that a moment until the door was opened. It swung open slowly, giving Oki a few moments to process what he was seeing. That was just as well, because his first reaction was a topsy-turvy feeling of seeing something that was not quite natural. This was no human girl, it was a fairy wandered in from some other world. No human could look so fragile and ethereal. He felt an irrational desire to put her on a shelf or behind a glass wall somewhere, cut her off from the rest of the world lest she accidentally get broken or stained. She looked back at him with her dreamy eyes seeming only half-focused on him, her expression one of vague puzzlement. 

"Are you Oki?" she asked. 

"Yeah. Are you Aiko?" 

*_Brilliant bit of conversation,_* he scolded himself, but it was the best he could manage under the circumstances. There was something about those wide blue eyes that left him at a bit of a disadvantage. Not in the way Mary had, where he felt awkward and tongue tied and all the usual ways guys felt around pretty girls. She was just so far out of his experience that he didn't quite know what to say to her. 

"Kata told me what happened to your father," she said. "I'm very sorry." 

"Yeah, well," he said. "I'll be okay." 

"It must be hard on you," she said. She had a cool, soft voice that made him think of clouds. "I know if something happened to my father, I'd be so lost. I wish there was something I could do to help." 

"Well, if we're lucky, your dad and Mr. Yagami will get it all cleared up." 

"I don't think that's going to happen," said Kata. 

"Huh?" said Oki. It took him a second to process the fact that the words even had meanings; just the sound of Kata's very real voice after Aiko's misty one was enough to make him jump. 

"I don't think Dad and Mr. Yagami will be able to do anything," Kata repeated. 

"Why not?" 

"Call it a hunch," Kata replied. "They are grownups, after all. I thought it had always been children who defended the Digital World. Besides, every time a grownup gets near Chiaromon, he tries to capture them." 

"Oh, and us getting attacked was just a coincidence?" asked Oki. 

"But he didn't try to magic us," Kata replied. "Besides, Mary spent the better part of a day in the Digital World, staying fairly close to where Chiaromon stays the whole time. If he wanted to bother her, he would have. Instead, he went after our parents almost as soon as they arrived. He's definitely targeting the adults." 

"So... what are you saying?" asked Oki. 

"That we should go back. What else?" 

"We can't do that!" Oki protested. 

Kata gave him a cold glare. "Why not? Don't you want to rescue your father?" 

"Well, yeah, of course I do!" said Oki, suddenly feeling the urge to run and hide somewhere. "But - but - but I promised my mom I wouldn't go back! I don't want to break my promise." 

"This is for a higher good," said Kata firmly. "You'll be excused." 

"But..." said Oki helplessly. 

"You're making him mad," said Nami. "Keep up like this, and he'll go home." 

"No, I won't," Oki snapped. 

"Yes you will. I know you. You don't let anybody tell you what to do. If you can't have your way, you'll go home and sulk." 

"I will not!" 

"Well, then," said Kata, "make up your mind. Come or don't come, whichever you like. I'm going." 

"Hm," answered Oki, thinking hard. Hadn't he been thinking, a while ago, that he wanted to go back to the Digital World? Well, of course he did, he just didn't want to - didn't want to get into a confrontation with Chiaromon. That was a reservation any sane human being would have, and there was nothing wrong with feeling that way. On the other hand... 

"Maybe if we just, um, look around a bit," he said. "It would be stupid for just the two of us to go messing with a Digimon like Chiaromon, but if we just went looking for some more information, maybe see if we could find a few other people to help us, that would be all right." 

"Three," said Aiko. 

"Three?" Kata repeated. "Three whats?" 

"Three people," she answered. "I want to come." 

"No," said Kata flatly. "You stay here. It's dangerous out there." 

"I'll be all right. Melody will protect me." She gestured at a large pink bird who was perched on the foot of her bed, listening to the conversation. 

"Melody's no more a warrior than you are," Kata answered. "You stay here. We'll be back before you know it." 

She looked downcast, but didn't seem inclined to continue the argument. She nodded. 

"All right," she said. "Are you going to tell Mom?" 

Kata considered. "Better not. She might not like it. Maybe you can tell her after she figures out we're not here." He paused. "She might not figure it out for a while. It's hard enough to notice me when I'm home." 

"At least he admits it," said RB. 

"All right," said Aiko. "Good luck, then." 

"Thanks," Kata answered. "And don't worry. We'll be fine." 

Aiko didn't look particularly convinced. Kata waited a while to see if she was going to say anything. When she didn't, he shrugged and walked off in search of a working computer, with Oki and the Digimon following closely behind. Aiko watched them, her expression thoughtful. Then she closed her door, shutting herself in so she could have the privacy to give this matter its due consideration. 

~*~

The best word to describe Hoshi was probably "sensitive." Even that didn't sum him up completely, or even do him justice; it brought up images of someone who cried to easily and got his feelings hurt at any slight. Hoshi wasn't like that. As a matter of fact, getting any kind of reaction out of him at all could sometimes be frustratingly difficult. He was like a pool of still water - the lightest breeze could send ripples across its surface, but how did you hurt a pool of water? He accepted everything that came his way, but he caught on to more than most people ever would. 

At the moment, he was sitting in his room, working a jigsaw puzzle. He liked jigsaw puzzles; it was satisfying to him to take something chaotic and arrange it into something harmonious and beautiful. He smiled faintly as he pushed another piece into place with a satisfying snap. 

"Stuff's happening," he told his partner. 

Pepper, his loyal Agumon, raised his head and looked at Hoshi inquisitively. "What kind of stuff?" 

"Important stuff, I think," he answered, studying the shape of another piece. "Hey, Pepper, what would you think if we had to go to the Digital World?" 

"Am I supposed to think something? I mean, we've been there before..." 

"Just for fun. I mean, what if we _had_ to go?" Hoshi asked. "Like, for the things that are going on now. About Chiaromon." 

"You mean... to fight? I think I could do that," said Pepper. "What about you?" 

"I don't know," Hoshi answered. He tried the puzzle piece in a few places before giving up and choosing a new one. "I don't like fighting very much. I don't think I'd be very good at it." 

"Well, you wouldn't be the one doing the fighting," Pepper pointed out. "I would be the one doing that." 

"True," said Hoshi. He snapped his new puzzle piece into place, adding a new flower to a rosebush. "But I would be the one telling you what to do. I would have to be there watching and doing what I could. I couldn't leave you to fight all by yourself. That wouldn't be a partnership." 

"Hm," said Pepper. "I guess so. Does that mean you don't want me to get into any fights? Is that what you're saying?" 

"I don't know," said Hoshi. "I haven't decided yet. I'll know better when the battle starts." 

"So you're sure there's going to be a fight, then?" 

"Of course I'm sure... as sure as I am about anything. There's a dark Digimon moving in the Digital World, one more powerful than anyone's seen in years. He's already captured some powerful and experienced warriors. He doesn't want this to end peacefully, Pepper." 

Pepper hung his head. "I guess you're right. You always are." 

"Not always," said Hoshi. "Just most of the time." 

"More than most people. More than most grownups, even." 

Hoshi frowned a bit. "Yes... unfortunately." 

"What's that supposed to mean?" 

Before he could answer, the door to his room opened, and Taichi looked in. 

"There you are," he said. "What are you doing in here?" 

Hoshi pointed at his half-finished jigsaw puzzle. 

"Oh, back to that again, huh?" said Taichi. "I would have thought you'd be outside playing on a day like today." 

Hoshi shrugged. "I like it here." 

"Oh," said Taichi again. He didn't sound very pleased. "Well, anyway, thought I'd tell you that Mr. Ishida is here. Do you want to say hi to him?" 

"I think I would," said Hoshi. 

Hoshi set his puzzle piece aside and followed his father into the living room, where Mr. Ishida was already waiting. 

"Hi there, Hoshi," he greeted amiably. 

"Good afternoon," answered Hoshi with a polite bow. 

Mr. Ishida laughed a little. "You're such a serious kid, you know that? If you weren't the spitting image of your father, I'd hardly know you two were related." 

"He takes after Hikari a lot, I think," said Taichi. "Recessive genes or something." 

"Yeah, something like that, I guess," his guest agreed. "Anyway, I guess we ought to get down to business. How familiar are you with this whole Chiaromon mess?" 

"Only with what Ken told me after he came back," said Taichi. "Though I did hear something happened to Daisuke..." 

"He's gone," said Yamato. "He left to the Digital World sometime early in the morning, according to his wife, and he never came back. We've been looking for his Digivice signal, but we can't pick it up." 

Taichi sighed and shook his head. "He always was a risk-taker. Oh, well. He was always good at pulling through, too. Maybe he can make it out safely." 

"And maybe he can't," said Yamato. "We can't take that risk." 

"So, what do you propose we do about it?" 

Yamato looked unusually grave. "We're going to have to cut off access to the Digital World." 

"What?" Taichi looked offended. "Why?" 

"It's too dangerous to go in there right now," said Yamato. "Every time one of us goes in there, Chiaromon goes and snatches them." 

"Yeah, and some of them get away." 

"And some of them don't." 

"So who says hiding is going to fix anything?" asked Taichi, beginning to get annoyed. "If there's a dangerous Digimon roaming around, we ought to go out and fight it, not just sit here waiting for him to go away!" 

"You don't understand. You haven't seen him," Yamato replied. "You didn't see what he did to Jyou. This guy doesn't _fight_. I think if we marched up to him with an army, he'd _still_ find a way to negotiate his way around it. He's not the sort who goes around blowing things up. He wants to play mind games with us, and that's what he's going to do if we go anywhere near him." 

"So let's not give him a chance!" 

"He might not give _you_ a chance," Yamato pointed out. "He has... a very compelling presence... and at least one very dangerous weapon." 

"What's that?" Taichi asked. 

"The chance that he could be reformed." 

Taichi stared. "What do you mean?" 

"Chiaromon, weird as it may seem, isn't completely evil. You know as well as I do, we aren't going to destroy someone like that. I'm not even sure what he's doing is completely evil. Misguided, but he has a _reason_ behind it. Are you really sure you're going to destroy something that might very well be as moral and rational as you are?" 

"If he's putting my friends in danger, yes," said Taichi stubbornly. 

"Could you convince the rest of us to? Enough of us that you'd be sure you were safe?" 

There was a moment of silence. Taichi looked at Agumon, and the little dinosaur shrugged. Apparently he was a bit more convinced by Yamato's arguments than Taichi was. Yamato waited patiently for a reply, but in the end, it was Hoshi who spoke. 

"I don't think any of you should go to the Digital World," he said. 

"Huh?" said Taichi, looking surprised. 

"Mr. Ishida is right - it's too dangerous for you," he said. "You aren't Chosen Children anymore. You're adults. You think like adults, you worry like adults. The Digital World is protected by children. Chiaromon doesn't know anything about us. He won't be able to manipulate us like he can you - he doesn't know our weak points. At the very least, he'll have to watch us for a while, to try to figure us out, before he makes any moves. While he's doing that, we'll be able to look for a way to free your friends." 

Taichi stared at his son as if he'd never seen him before. "What are you saying?" 

"I'm saying," said Hoshi slowly, "that you ought to allow us, your children and the other children of the Chosen Children, to go into the Digital World to fight Chiaromon." 

"No," said Taichi. "Absolutely not." 

"I don't know," said Yamato quietly. "He might just have a point... I mean, Oki and Kata already went in once and made it out all right. So did Mary, and Ken and Miyako's kids... Hoshi could be right. It might be that it's their turn to save the world." 

"But..." said Taichi. He seemed to be at a loss for words. Then he laughed a little. "I hardly sound like myself, do I, worrying this much." 

"You sound like yourself," said Yamato. "You used to worry about Hikari the same way." 

"Maybe so," said Taichi. "Still, I don't know..." 

"I do," said Hoshi quietly. "I've made up my mind. I've already thought about it a lot. I'm going." 

"Right now?" asked Taichi. 

Hoshi hesitated. It was one thing to know what was right to do, and another to actually do it. The look on his father's face was one he didn't like - not angry or threatening, just worried. He'd always harbored a suspicion his father thought he was weak, somehow, just because he wasn't an all-star sportsman like his father had been. 

*_He doesn't think Aunt Hikari is weak, does he? She fought monsters with the best of them, even when she was small. What does he think wrong with me? Is it just because boys are supposed to be tough, or what?_* 

"Right now," Hoshi replied. "I'll be okay. I'll have Pepper to protect me." 

"I guess," said Taichi, looking resigned. Hoshi felt another twist of irritation. 

*_It's only okay if I have someone looking after me. As if I couldn't take care of myself._* 

"Well, good luck," said Yamato, rising to shake the boy's hand. "And if you find out anything important, tell us, would you?" 

"I will," said Hoshi. 

Then, before he could change his mind, he headed for the nearest computer, raised his Digivice, and, with a final nod of goodbye, vanished into the lights. 

*_This is my time. I'm going to prove to them I can do this._* 

~*~

Koushiro listened to the noises coming from behind his daughter's door for a moment, then sighed. He was willing to make allowances for adolescent energy, but this was getting tiresome. 

"Seiko," he called, "are you doing your homework in there?" 

"Yeah, Dad, sure." 

"Are you sure? You wouldn't be playing _video games_, would you?" 

There was a small explosion on the other side of the door, followed by a fanfare. Koushiro grimaced. 

"It's okay, Dad," said Seiko. "I finished it all at school. Really." 

Koushiro was skeptical. "_All_ of it?" 

"Well... maybe not _all_ of it... but it's all cool. Trust me. It's just a couple of worksheets - I can finish them after dinner, easy." 

"Wouldn't it be better to finish it now, so you won't have to worry about it anymore?" Koushiro suggested. 

"I'll get it done, okay?" Seiko was starting to sound irritated. "I'm _busy_ right now. I'll do it as soon as I'm done." 

"I'd really rather you did it _now_," said Koushiro. 

Seiko heard the tone of her father's voice and realized she'd pushed things far enough. 

"Okay, okay," she said, in a long-suffering tone. "Just let me save this game." 

Koushiro was relieved to hear the video-game noises come to an end, and then a rustling of someone going through a bookbag. Even so, he wasn't entirely comforted. 

"I wish I didn't have to go through this every single night," he said to Tentomon, who was perched on the wall next to his desk. 

"Maybe it's just a phase she's going through?" the bug suggested tentatively. 

"Yeah, for the last how many years, now?" Koushiro answered. "I'm not sure this is healthy, for her to be so obsessed with those games." 

"Would I be in trouble if I suggested I knew who she inherited that trait from?" 

Koushiro colored a little. "That was different. I mean, Seiko's got nothing to hide from. She's got a good, stable family. Hanako and I are always here for her, and what does she do? She hides in her room all day playing video games. We live in the same house, and I hardly ever even _see_ her." 

"Let her have her fun," said Tentomon. "She's still just a kid. She'll outgrow it." 

"I might believe that," Koushiro replied, "but what about her grades? I _know_ she's not stupid. All the intelligence tests say she's above average, but you'd never know it to look at her school papers. If she'd just apply herself a little..." 

Meanwhile, Seiko was sitting on the floor with her school papers strewn around her. She had been truthful to her father, sort of - she _had_ tried to do some of the work earlier. She'd finished her language work as soon as she got home from school, and had managed at least part of her History reading before giving up on it. Now all she had left was math, and what could be more deathly boring than wasting a perfectly good evening trying to figure out what X and Y were supposed to equal? She couldn't imagine anything more pointless. She'd lived a good thirteen years, and had never once needed to figure out what X was in real life, so why did school insist on teaching it to her. 

"This is junk," she said, throwing down her pencil in disgust. 

Her partner, a Tentomon she called Spike, hovered down to look at her work. 

"Not bad," he said. "Almost done... though I think you got number six wrong..." 

"Who cares?" said Seiko. "It's not important, anyway. I don't know why everyone thinks its so important that I learn this stuff. It's _stupid_." 

Spike fluttered his wings in agitation. "If you flunk out of school, you won't be able to get a job!" 

"Humph," said Seiko. "I wish I didn't have to do _that_. I don't want to be like Mom and Dad, stuck working at desks all day. Why do you have to give up having fun as soon as you grow up?" 

"You parents like their jobs," said Spike. 

"Yeah, well, I'm not like them," Seiko replied. 

The argument was interrupted by the ringing of a telephone. Seiko turned toward the sound, wondering who would be calling. Whatever was going on, it was bound to be more interesting than her algebra. She cracked her door open a bit so she could listen in on the conversation. 

"Koushiro!" her mother was calling. "It's for you! It's Mr. Yagami." 

"Really? I wonder what he'd be calling for," said Koushiro, getting up from his desk to answer the phone. "Hello? ... Yeah, I've heard... He _did_? Gosh, Taichi, I don't know if that's... He did? Wow. I didn't know Hoshi had it in him - no offense. Still, the Digital World is a dangerous place... Yeah, I know... Well, I don't know about that. Still, if it looks like she's needed, I don't see why she shouldn't. She'd probably love it... Of course. We'll do everything we can. I'll pass the word along. Thanks for calling, Taichi. Goodbye." 

Seiko shut her door quickly before her father could realize she was eavesdropping, and then leaned against the wall to try to think through what she'd just heard. She would almost bet her father had been talking about her - who else could the "she" he had mentioned be? As for Hoshi... wasn't he Mr. Yagami's son? The quiet boy with the mysterious dark eyes? And they were mentioning the Digital World... Had Hoshi gone there? Was that what they were so surprised that he had done? She thought that must be it. Of course Mr. Yagami would tell her father; after all, he had a better handle on what was going on in the Digital World than anyone else on this side of the barrier. If anything happened to Hoshi while he was there, Koushiro would be the most likely person to find out about it. 

*_So if they were talking about him going to the Digital World, and then talking about me... Did Mr. Yagami suggest that I go help?_* 

She felt a sudden rush of excitement. The Digital World! She hadn't been there since she was a small child. At the time, she hadn't seen it as being much more than a picnic outing - how could she really comprehend, at that age, what she was getting into. Now, the idea of going into another world, one populated with fantastic terrain, hidden temples, and real live monsters, a place where magic really worked... why, it would be exactly like being in one of her video games! It was a long-cherished fantasy of hers that someday, somehow, something would whisk it out of her patterned, humdrum, safe, boring existence and send her off on an adventure. That would be a real challenge, something that would test her courage and prove her mettle. That would be better training than anything school could offer. 

*_That's it!_* she realized. *_That's exactly what I can do - I'll go to the Digital World! Then I won't need to worry about school or jobs or anything. I can have a _real_ life there, something _interesting_ for a change. Didn't Dad say he met a great trainer of warriors there - Piximon, or whatever he was called? I could learn to be a real warrior and fight monsters. That would be _much_ better than school!_* 

Spike buzzed over her head, managing to look worried even with his absence of facial expressions. "What's on your mind? I know that look; you're plotting something." 

"Dad was talking about me going to the Digital World," she said. 

"He was?" asked Spike, antennae twitching. "Funny, I didn't hear him say that." 

"You had to listen between the lines," Seiko replied. "Something's going on there - you've heard Dad and his friends talking about it. Hoshi and some of the others have already gone. Why not me?" 

"Well, for starters, your father hasn't given permission yet." 

"I don't need permission. The other kids went without telling anyone, right?" 

"But your parents will be worried!" 

"No they won't," said Seiko. "Dad's always keeping an eye on the Digital World. He'll know I'm there... and you'll be with me, right? Between the two of us, we'll be completely safe." 

"I don't know - maybe we should think this through a little more..." 

"Think about this," said Seiko. "I'm going. Are you coming or not?" 

"Well, when you put it that way," answered Spike, still not sounding completely happy with the situation. 

"All right, then, we're decided," said Seiko. 

She turned to her computer, which was still on, just waiting for her to finish or give up on her homework so she could go back to her games. Now it would serve another purpose. She reached for her Digivice, resting safely in a drawer, and turned it to the computer. 

"Digiport open!" she commanded. 

Lights began to shine. Spike lost his nerve and began trying to get away, but it was already too late. 

"Oh, I don't like this, I really don't..." he began, and then his voice cut off as he and his partner vanished. 

~*~

Aiko was sitting in her room, thinking quietly, while her partner Melody dozed next to her. Aiko was well known for being a dreamy girl, the kind of person who could easily spend hours staring at the sky and daydreaming. Some people swore she never made it fully back to reality. If they had said so to her face, she might have agreed with them. Reality could be harsh and unpleasant; it was so much easier to keep her mind in some other world where bad things didn't have to happen, and when they did, they could be resolved and tied up with happily-ever- afters. 

Right now, though, she _was_ thinking about reality, for a change. Specifically, she was thinking about her brother and his friend - what was his name again? Oki, that was it - Kata and Oki, who had taken their partners and gone to the Digital World. That bothered her. After all, Kata was still her little brother, and she would have protected him if she could. Oki had seemed nice enough, but she wasn't sure he looked like the sort who would be much protection in times of danger. Not that she could protect him much herself... 

*_Why not? I'm as much a Chosen Child as he is, and Melody is just as good a Digimon. Why do I have to stay here?_* 

No reason she could think of. She had as much right to go to the Digital World as Kata did. If she hurried, maybe she could catch up to him... 

"Melody," she said, "what do you think? Do you want to go to the Digital World with me?" 

Melody considered. "It will be dangerous." 

"I know," Aiko replied. "Do you want to go anyway?" 

Melody thought again before nodding solemnly. 

"So do I," Aiko replied. 

She collected her Digivice and headed for the computer that her brother and Oki had used. It was still on, glowing softly. With a word of command, the gate opened again and drew the girl and her partner into the other world. 

Aiko and Melody landed in a sunny clearing amid a tropical-looking forest, full of bright flowers and multicolored plants, and the girl took a moment to admire her surroundings. She had formed a vague notion that any place that was dangerous was probably also ugly, and the beauty of the place reassured her a little. It was hard to imagine anything bad lurking here. 

On the other hand, she didn't see anyone else there, either. All that was visible were trees, grass, and other plants. There weren't even any footprints or broken stems, anything that would show that any other humans had been here. Frowning a little, Aiko looked down at the Digivice she was holding, hoping to see a trace of where the others had gone. The screen showed, not just two blinking lights, but several. There was one group of them gathered very close together. The others were moving singly or in pairs, but all seemed to be drawing closer to each other. She picked out the nearest pair and decided that was where her brother must be. 

"I think we came down a little too far... west?" she said uncertainly, glancing at the sky. She wasn't sure the standard compass directions applied here. "Well, not near where they are, anyway. We're going to have to walk." 

"Fly," said Melody, fluttering up into the air to hover around her partner's head. 

Aiko smiled a little. "All right, you can fly, but I'm walking." 

They set out. The area, though having an outward appearance of life, was eerily silent. Listening closely, Aiko couldn't even hear any birds or insects. Did this world even _have_ birds and insects, she wondered? Or were the Digimon all there were? She thought her parents had mentioned something about fish, at least, so there had to be some kind of living creatures there besides the Digimon. And where were the Digimon? 

"Is there anyone here but us?" asked Aiko. Her quiet voice seemed to be swallowed up into the still air. 

"I don't see anyone," said Melody, sounding apologetic. Like most birds, her sense of smell wasn't highly developed, and she felt bad that she wouldn't be able to sniff out anything close by the way the Gabumons in the family could. "Wait a moment, and I'll check." 

With a whirr of wings, she rose up into the air. Aiko watched her sail in spirals for a few minutes before dropping back down to earth. She was panting a little, and Aiko gave her a moment to collect herself. Aiko lived a sedate lifestyle, and her partner wasn't well conditioned to travel. 

"I saw someone," Melody reported at last. "I don't know who, though. They didn't look like a human, but not like any Digimon I've ever seen, either." 

"Where were they?" 

Melody waved a wing. "Over there. In a tree." 

"A tree?" 

Melody nodded. "It had wings." 

Aiko was intrigued. "Let's go look. Maybe they've seen my brother." 

"What if it isn't friendly?" 

"Then we won't bother it." 

Somewhat reluctantly, Melody led her partner through the forest. The further they went, the darker it grew, as the tall trees thickened and blotted out the song. The air beneath the trees was warm and moist, harder to breathe than the air in the meadow, and the undergrowth scratched at her legs. Nevertheless, Aiko, persevered. She might appear fragile, but she had inherited her father's stubborn streak; once she made up her mind to do something, she did it. Finally, they came to a place where the trees were somewhat thinner - not a clearing, but a place where the darkness wasn't so thick, and tufts of grass and moss showed between the brush and fallen leaves. At the center of the area was a tall tree. It had once been a majestic specimen, but it was clear it had outlived its time. Its trunk was split, showing signs of decay at the core, and many of the branches were dead. Those that survived seemed to be struggling to put out leaves; its foliage was sparse and withered-looking. Perched on one of the few sound branches was a Digimon. Aiko stared. 

From the abbreviated description Melody had given her, she had formed a mental image of some kind of bird, or, just possibly, a large insect, or even a dragon. She hadn't been expecting it to appear human, but the being she saw was almost indistinguishable from the genuine article. He - for it was undisputably male - was dressed entirely in something black and form-fitting that displayed a lean, strong body, and wore white boots and gloves, and a white collar that covered his shoulders and part of his chest. The face was somewhat pale-skinned, but handsome, with refined features. Even from a distance, she could see that his eyes were blue, and his hair was blonde, glinting in stray flashes of sunlight. The only way she could tell that he was not human was that, perched proudly on his shoulders, were wings. The cascade of pure white feathers gleamed brightly, even in the shadows, as if they didn't need light to shine. He was staring off into space with a wistful expression, and the picture he made, looking so strangely sad there in the half-light, that Aiko was transfixed. 

*_Is that... an angel?_* 

Some time before that, Chiaromon had been out roaming. The successful capture of of Daisuke Motomiya had elated him, but his dual nature wasn't well suited for holding on to emotions for any length of time. Inevitably, his joy had turned to a dull sense of regret. He had put a lot of emotional weight on capturing the man who had brought about his father Myotismon's defeat years ago, and now that it was over, leaving him very little better off, what could he feel but a faint disappointment? The malaise had driven him from the darkness of his castle to seek solace elsewhere. The cool shadows of the forest had called to him, so he had gone there, pausing to rest in the shade of the great tree to reflect. 

*_We are very alike, this tree and I,_* he thought, as he gazed up at the dry, dead branches intertwining with the more stubborn live ones. *_Death and life bound together in one living entity, both sides warring to overcome the other... but of course, death always wins in the end, at least for the two of us. We're both rotting at the heart..._* 

"Um, hello? Excuse me?" 

Chiaromon was too poised to do anything as undignified as jump at a sudden noise, but it would be untruthful to say that he wasn't surprised. He had thought this area of the forest deserted. Most creatures had fled as soon as they realized that the unpredictable Digimon-prince was in the vicinity. He had hardly expected anything to bother him - much less the kind of creature that went with such a soft, timid voice. He looked down. Standing at the base of the tree, looking up at him, was a human girl. He blinked, hardly able to absorb the absurdity of it. The only humans likely to come here were those Chosen Children or the children of those children. He would have expected any of them to attack him as soon as look at him, after what he had already done with two of their number. Even if this person wasn't planning on attacking him, what were they doing talking to him? Knowing what he knew about his own nature, he thought it was pure insanity for a lovely, innocent-looking young woman to get anywhere near him. 

"What do you want?" he asked at last. 

"I'm sorry to bother you, but I'm lost," she said. "I'm trying to find my brother. Have you seen him?" 

Chiaromon gave her a long, considering look, trying to detect duplicity. The girl's wide blue eyes showed only innocent worry. Considering her direct stare, he didn't even think the worry was directed towards him, but towards the brother she was looking for. 

"No," he said at last. "No, I have seen no children today." 

"Oh," said the girl, looking downcast. Then she looked up again. "What are you doing up in that tree?" 

"I am thinking," he answered. 

"About what?" 

"That's none of your business." 

"Oh, I'm so sorry," answered the girl, blushing. "I didn't mean to be rude. I just thought... you looked sad. I thought maybe I could help." 

Chiaromon stared at her again. She was entirely serious. 

*_By the four Digital Gods, I think she actually feels sorry for me!_* That was a novel experience. He was used to being hated, feared, even respected. Nobody ever felt sorry for him. 

"I think my situation is more than a single child can unravel," Chiaromon answered. "Nevertheless... I thank you for your kindness. It is rare anyone spares any kindness on the likes of me." 

"Why not?" the girl asked. 

Chiaromon was surprised all over again. Was this girl stupid, or just completely naive? 

"Can't you tell?" 

"No." 

"Hm," said Chiaromon thoughtfully. "What is your name, child?" 

"Aiko. Ishida Aiko." 

"Aiko... the beloved child," he murmured. "I know that name... your father was one of the chosen ones, correct?" 

"Yes," she replied. "Who are you? Do you have a name?" 

"Let us pretend for the moment that I do not," Chiaromon answered. "What would you name me?" 

"Tenshi," she answered. 

"Angel? You give high praise to someone you haven't known very long." 

"Isn't that what you are?" she asked. 

"Somewhat," he replied. "And yet again..." 

On an impulse, he leaped down from the tree branch, gliding on his mismatched wings to make a somewhat unsteady landing on the moss in front of her. He turned towards her, letting her see him clearly. She gave him a long, steady look, taking in the ragged black wing that matched his pearly white one. Then, taking a deep breath, he forced the change. As she watched, his teeth became fangs, his nails lengthened and hardened into claws, his eyes glowed bloodred for an instant, and even the feathers of his angel-wing bristled like spines. With a shuddering effort, he forced himself back into his normal form. 

"You see?" he asked her quietly. "Do you see what I am? Do you see why it is I mourn?" 

"What was that?" asked the girl. She sounded a bit shaky. 

"Think of it as my other side," he replied. "It is what happens when I give in to darker emotions." 

"Oh," she said, looking somewhat taken aback. "But... you're not like that all the time." 

"No, I'm not," he answered. 

"Can't you control it? I mean, just now..." 

"It isn't always that easy," he answered. 

"But it only happens when you get upset?" 

"Yes, that is so." 

"Then you should find something cheerful to think about instead of sulking up in that tree." 

Chiaromon gave a bitter laugh. "Is that it? Just think happy thoughts, and all your troubles will go away. That's what they told my father. Look how much good it did him." 

Aiko didn't seem to know what to make of this comment, and remained silent. Chiaromon looked at the confusion written across her face and decided to rescue her. 

"Well, I don't fault you for meaning well," he said. "Despite what some might say, I am not one to be unkind to an innocent if I can help it. Very well, then. If it is your wish, then for you, I will be Tenshi. That is, if you want to waste your time with someone like me." 

That pitying look suffused Aiko's features again. 

"You sound very lonely," she said. 

"Lonely? I suppose I am," he replied. "I have no family, and few who care about my well- being in any sense. If being alone is being lonely..." 

"I'm sorry," she said. "I wish I could help. I'd stay and talk to you if I could, but I need to find my brother... Oh, I know! Could you come with me? You must know the way around. I'm sure I'd be much better off if you were with me." 

Her innocent faith touched something in him, and he smiled a bit. Innocence had always been a fascinating concept to him, who had been born tainted. It had made him rather fond of his former servant, but it was far more endearing in a beautiful young girl. 

"I doubt you would be attacked here if I went with you," he said. "Unfortunately, there are limits to how much traveling I can do." 

"But you can fly, can't you?" she asked. 

"Not very well," he replied. He flapped them a few times, as illustration. "They're mostly for show. I can glide a bit, if I concentrate, but a standing takeoff is very tiring for me. However, that was not what I meant." 

"What, then?" 

"I meant that I find it... uncomfortable... to be out in strong sunlight. My eyes are very sensitive. It hurts me to venture beyond the shadows." 

"Oh," said Aiko, considering. "Hm... Oh! I know!" 

She went through her pockets and took out a pair of purple sunglasses, which she handed to Chiaromon. He turned them over in his hands, trying to discover what purpose they might have. Aiko laughed and took them back, unfolding them. 

"Here," she said. "You wear them. Put them over your eyes - that's right." 

Chiaromon put on the sunglasses and looked around, his face alight with surprise. 

"How very clever," he said. "I should have thought of this myself." 

Aiko beamed. "You can keep them, if you want. They're not very expensive - I can get another pair." 

"Thank you," said Chiaromon. "You have my gratitude." 

"It was nothing," Aiko replied, still smiling. 

The moment was broken by a rattling in the underbrush, and a Mushmon burst into view. Melody gave a shrill screech and flapped into the air, poising herself to attack it, but Chiarmon held up a hand. 

"Don't attack," he ordered. "I know this Digimon; he's a servant of mine." 

"Servant?" asked Aiko, puzzled. 

"Of course," Chiaromon replied. "I am a prince." 

"Oh!" Aiko replied. She looked very impressed. However, Chiaromon missed the expression as he turned to speak with the Mushmon. 

"Master," it said, keeping its voice low so that Aiko would not here, "your scouts have reported the presence of unknown humans moving nearby. Do you want to investigate?" 

"Are they adults or children?" 

"Children, my lord." 

"Hm. What are they doing?" 

"For the moment, just talking. From the sound of it, they're making plans." 

"Plans. Obviously, the parents wish to avoid me by sending their children to do the job," said Chiaromon in irritation. "How irritating. Well, perhaps I can use the little fish as bait for the large fish." 

Mushmon peered around his master's legs. "Isn't that a human child over there?" 

"You do not touch her," said Chiaromon. "That one is under my protection. If anything untoward happens to her, I will be severely displeased. Is that understood?" 

"Yes, master," answered the Mushmon, bowing. "It will be as you say. I'll pass the word along." 

"Very well. Now, where were these children you mentioned?" 

"There is a group of them heading for the Lake of Stars, and another group gathering in the forest near the Sleeping Forest." 

"The Lake of Stars?" Chiaromon said, frowning. 

"A force has already been sent to distract them," said the Mushmon. "I knew you wouldn't want any strange humans getting too close." 

"Excellent. Well done, Mushmon. And the other children?" 

"We have done nothing yet." 

"Well, they are no great threat. If they go into the Sleeping Forest, they won't get very far. I should keep an eye on those closest to the lake, though. I'm off to the castle." 

"Yes, my lord. Am I dismissed?" 

"Yes, yes, get out of here," the prince replied. "And while you're at it, pass the word along about the girl." 

"It will be done," answered the Mushmon. It bowed once more, an odd position for the squat creature, and then scurried off into the forest. Chiaromon turned back to Aiko. 

"I apologize for that," he said. "It seems... it seems your brother has run into a bit of trouble with one of the local Digimon." 

*_Well, that's true enough,_* he thought silently. *_There is no trouble in this world greater than bothering me._* 

"Don't worry about it, though," he continued. "I'm off to deal with it, and you will understand if I don't take you with me. I will have a hard enough time getting there without trying to carry you. Will you be all right on your own?" 

"I think so. Melody will protect me," Aiko replied. 

"Good. I have given orders to my servants to protect you, but they may not be able to protect you from everything, and it will take some time for the order to make its way through the ranks. I would feel safer if you would return home." 

"You'll take care of my brother?" she asked. 

Chiaromon hesitated. "I will watch after him very closely." 

"Then I guess it's all right," she said. "But... can I come back later and visit? After you've made things safe?" 

"Yes," he replied. "If you want to see me again... wherever you go in the Digitial World, I will know you are here, and I will come to you." 

"Good," she said. "I'll come back, then. Soon." 

"Thank you," he replied. "Farewell, Aiko." 

"Goodbye, Tenshi." 

With that, Chiaromon turned and leaped into the topmost branches of the great tree, and then leaped into the air, struggling for an instant until his unsteady wings caught the breeze and he was able to balance himself. He pumped his wings, trying to gather some speed, even as he found himself wishing he could turn back around and return to the girl. 

*_As usual, I can't make up my mind what I want,_* he thought wryly. He adjusted the new unfamiliar sunglasses and smiled faintly. *_Aiko... beloved child... how very ironic..._* 

~*~

Oki and Kata arrived in the middle of a dark pine forest, a place that gave the impression of being uniformly deep blue-green. Oki felt mildly cheated; he had come to the Digital World to get away from the gloom of the Real World, only to arrive in a gloomy part of this world. Kata seemed less phased, taking it all in with his usual stoic silence. 

"Well, here we are," he said. "Now what?" 

"Um," said Oki. 

Nami laughed. "That's my boy! Always decisive." 

"Oh, shut up," Oki muttered. He glanced down at his Digivice. "Hm. Looks like we aren't the only ones here. One, two, three... Boy, there's a whole bunch of people here." 

"I suppose you want to go looking for them?" asked Kata, with a hint of disdain. 

Oki shrugged. "Well, strength in numbers, I guess. Besides, Mary might be one of them." 

Kata didn't reply to that, but his expression turned a little less sullen and a little more hopeful. Nami snickered, and RB shrugged and grinned at Oki from behind Kata's back. Oki gave a half-smile and went back to consulting the device. 

"Looks like they're moving in more-or-less this direction," he commented. "Maybe we ought to try to round them up?" 

"If you want," said Kata. 

"I do," Oki replied. "The closest one is this way. Come on." 

They began to walk. The forest was extremely quiet, more so than any forest he had ever been in before - not that he had been in very many, but he didn't think it was supposed to be this still. There wasn't even any wind in the treetops to make a noise. Only a few minutes after they had arrived, Kata put on his headphones and slipped off into his own world, eyes half-closed, lips moving in sync with the music. As for Oki, he trudged on doggedly, trying to ignore the feeling of malaise that was hanging over him. This silence was unnerving. The pine needles on the soft earth absorbed the sound of his footsteps, so that he felt like a ghost slipping silently through the darkness. In the shadows, he didn't even have a shadow to remind him of his reality. He could have faded out of existence entirely, and he wasn't sure he'd even notice. How long had he been walking? Time seemed to have lost all meaning in this silent, shadowy place - he could have been walking a few minutes or for years. A glance down at his Digivice told him that the figures he had been pursuing had stopped moving. Maybe time really was standing still. Why was he trying so hard, anyway? He couldn't see where he was making any progress; the trees were just as still and silent as they had been when he began. As far as he knew, time really had stopped, and he was trapped in this forest for all time. It was pointless, really. He might as well just stop right where he was and close his eyes... 

Kata was startled out of his daze as he saw his friend suddenly slump over in place, landing face-first on the pine needles. Looking around, Kata saw that the normally energetic Nami had already paused several yards back and was now snoring soundly. Even as he paused to take in this strange situation, RB yawned hugely and curled up on the ground. Kata stared. 

"What's gotten into you all?" he exclaimed. "Something isn't right about this..." 

He could barely hear his own voice over the noise his headphones were making, and he took them off. Immediately, he was struck by the profound silence, as well as the dimness of the surroundings. He hadn't been paying attention as long as he was listening to the music, but without it, he began to feel dreariness descending on him. Immediately, he snapped the headphones back on, and the feeling left him. 

"It's the silence," he said aloud. He thought that in the current situation, he could be excused for talking to himself. "I had something to listen to, so I'm safe, but they all fell asleep..." 

There was, he decided, only one logical thing to do. Closing his eyes, he closed his eyes to shut out the gloomy forest and began to sing. He sang as loudly and energetically as he could, imagining himself filling the forest with sound. Even as the first notes were out of his mouth, RB began to twitch. Moments later, Nami opened his eyes and looked around with a puzzled expression. Oki took the longest to wake up. He sat up, blinking and yawning, and gave Kata a confused stare. 

"What's gotten into you?" he asked. "Have you lost your mind?" 

"I was trying to wake you up," said Kata. Even conversation took an effort; it felt like the silence had piled up while he was singing, and was now trying to fall back down on him. Oki began to yawn again. "I've got to keep singing, you'll all fall asleep again." 

"Oh," said Oki. He looked skeptical, but even in that small moment of quiet, he began to yawn again. "Oh, man, you're right. Well, what are you waiting for? Keep going!" 

Kata obliged, breaking back into a new song. RB chimed in from time to time, giving the song further strength. Even Oki hummed along a bit, under his breath, though his musical talents weren't great. For a while, they could travel through the forest in relative safety. However, after several minutes of traveling, their protection began wearing thin. It was difficult enough to walk and sing at the same time, and it wasn't long before Kata felt himself running short of breath. Doggedly, he kept at it, running through all the songs he'd written himself, then all the popular songs he could remember. By the time he'd finished those, he was getting hoarse. In the middle of a children's song he'd picked up in third grade, he began to cough. RB burst back into song to cover up the lapse. 

"Don't give out now!" Oki urged. "We haven't got much further, now!" 

"I can't keep this up much longer," said Kata hoarsely. "I'm losing my voice." 

"Let RB cover for you for a while, while you catch your breath," said Oki. 

Kata looked to RB, who nodded to show that he was willing. The boy smiled his thanks. Nami looked at Oki. 

"I guess it's too much to hope that you've been hiding your singing talents from me," he said. 

Oki shook his head. "Can't carry a tune in a bucket." 

Nami sighed. "I was afraid of that." 

"Oki, listen," said Kata. "We've gone so far into this forest, we don't have a chance of making it if we turn back now. Not all of us together, anyway." 

"Are you saying you're giving up?" asked Oki, aghast. 

"No," said Kata. "What I'm saying is... if we don't find safety before RB and I give out, I want you to go on without us. Take my CD player with you - it'll keep you safe until you get out of here." 

"I can't just abandon you all," he said belligerently. 

"Then come back for us after you get help! Look, there's no point in staying here with us if we give in." 

"Don't raise your voice, Kata - you're going to need it." 

Kata glared at him. "I want you to promise you'll do what I say." 

"Why are you so determined that it be me?" asked Oki. "It's your machine; why don't you save yourself?" 

"Because, I trust you to come back for us," said Kata. "Because I know you'll do what you set out to do. Even if you can't get back to us, I want you to get away safe. You're the only friend besides RB that I've got. I can't just walk away and leave you." 

Oki just stared, lost for words. He never would have imagined such an outburst from Kata. Even RB seemed stunned into silence, and the boys stared at him as he broke off his song. He was swaying on his feet, struggling against tiredness and the overwhelming force of the forest. In only seconds, it would take the rest of them, too... 

Suddenly, the silence was broken, shattered as if from a blow from a hammer. The silent trees rustled as from a strong wind, and over that rushing sound, they heard a voice. Someone was singing with a voice more pure and perfect than any human could hope to have. All of them, human and Digimon alike, stood in awe as the notes washed over them, singing in words they couldn't quite make out, but understood perfectly nonetheless. It was a song of love - not just for one person, but an all-embracing emotion, unrestrained, unrelenting, unqualified. The voice grew steadily closer and louder, soaring to a crescendo that brought tears to their eyes, and suddenly, Ebon Angewomon sailed into view. Gracefully, she alighted on the ground in front of them and gestured for them to come closer. As soon as they were in reach, she gathered the boys into her arms, and, with them clutching their partners, she flew up into the sky again. Once they were aloft, she stopped singing. Everyone was slightly disappointed that the song was over. 

"Thank goodness you all are safe," she said. Oki felt slightly better; he had forgotten that her speaking voice was almost as lovely as her singing. "What possessed you to enter the forest without protection?" 

"We didn't know it was dangerous," said Oki. "It's where we landed when we entered the Digital World, and we were trying our best to get out of it." 

"I see," she said. "Yes, it would be difficult to know of the danger at first glance. I advise you to be more cautious in the future." 

"What _was_ that place?" asked Kata hoarsely. 

"It is called by some the Sleeping Forest," Ebon Angewomon replied, "and by others, the Forest of Silence. It is considered by all one of the great wonders of the Digital World, believed to be sacred to Xuanwumon, who rules the earth and the forests. It is always perfectly silent within the trees unless a living thing enters it. It is said that people wishing to pay respects to the forest's ruler would enter it singing songs of praise, and would therefore be safe from its powers." 

"That's how we made it this long," Oki replied. "Kata was singing." 

"I am impressed," she said, and she sounded like she meant it. "Truly you are both courageous and intelligent to have survived the power of the forest for so long. I had not thought that any human would have the power to last long against such magic." 

Oki and Kata both blushed. Ebon Angewoman favored them with one of her smiles. 

"Well, you have earned a rest in safety. My home is at the heart of the silent woods. I normally prefer not to have visitors, but you are more than welcome there. Do not worry; I have purified the area by my holy song. The magic will not touch you while you are under my roof." 

"There were others..." Kata began, and coughed. 

"I will find them," Ebon Angewomon replied. "You all need to rest. Don't worry." 

Within moments, they came to a place where the trees appeared to have been pushed away in a perfect circle, leaving a sunny area of bare grass. At the center was a small, graceful structure. It was not what Oki would have immediately called a house, but then again, he couldn't imagine something as ethereal as Ebon Angewoman living in an ordinary house with silly things like sofas and telephones in it. Instead, there was a large white pavilion at the center of a garden of flowers. Oki counted twelve support pillars holding up a circular dome, the apex of which was a good thirty feet in the air, not counting five more feet of silver spire. Beneath the pavilion, there was a soft grassy space, with bits of furniture arranged around the perimeter: a low table with a bowl of something unidentifiable resting on it, a cushioned divan, and a scattering of pillows. At the center of the arrangement was a flowing spring that bubbled softly. 

"I apologize for the lack of luxuries," said Ebon Angewomon. "I live a simple life. I have few needs, and few visitors." 

"This is fine," said Kata, dropping onto a pile of cushions with evident relief. The journey through the Sleeping Forest had clearly exhausted him. 

"Make yourselves at home," said Ebon Angewomon. "If you hunger or thirst, you will find the water in the spring is good to drink, and the dish on the table holds food. I am going to search for the others, now. Until I return, do not stray beyond the gardens." 

"We won't," said Oki. He was tired from all the walking, and relieved to be out of the gloomy forest. There was no inclination left in him to go anywhere. 

When Ebon Angewomon had flown off with a soft flutter of her dark wings, the boys set about making themselves comfortable. Kata's throat was parched and aching after all the work he'd put it through, and he was eager to sample the water from the pool. At this point, he would have drunk from a stale puddle if that was all he had, and the clear spring was too tempting to resist. Not seeing any cups handy, he dipped his hands into the water and scooped up a palmful. He tasted the water, and his eyes widened. 

"Tastes like grapes!" he said. 

"You're crazy," said Oki. 

"I'm serious! It looks like water, but it tastes just like grape juice." He took another eager gulp. "Try it yourself, if you don't believe me." 

Oki knelt on the other side of the pond and dipped out a sample. He took a cautious sip, and nearly spilled the rest down his front in surprise. 

"Strawberry!" he exclaimed. He let the water run through his fingers, then scooped up some more and sniffed it. It was still water-clear, and smelling of nothing but water, but the minute he tasted it, it was exactly as if he'd just bitten into a ripe red strawberry, feeling the juice running into his mouth. 

"Me next, me next!" said Nami. He plunked his head into the water and slurped eagerly. "Hey, this water thinks it's chocolate milk!" 

RB lapped up a sample. "Would you believe me if I told you it was peppermint?" 

"Incredible," said Oki. "I wonder if it would taste like coffee if my parents drank it?" 

"_I_ wonder what the food is like here," said Kata. 

Thirst slaked, they converged on the food bowl. It contained a number of what looked like rolls, each round and perfectly smooth, medium brown and smelling like nothing in particular. They each took one and looked at it dubiously. Oki picked one up and took a bite. 

"What do you think?" asked Kata. 

"Steak," said Oki. "How about you?" 

Kata took a bite. "Shrimp tempura. It's even got Mom's teriyaki sauce!" 

"It's a bacon cheeseburger," said RB. He took a second bite. "_And_ french fries." 

"Lobster dinner!" Nami cheered. "My favorite!" 

"This is so wild," said Kata. "They say you can make soybeans taste like anything, but that's nothing compared to these things!" 

They hadn't been particularly hungry when they had arrived, but even so, they had each managed to eat several of the miraculous pastries by the time Ebon Angewoman's distant singing heralded her return. They were just picking at the last crusts when the angel-Digimon arrived with a collection of other children, and the boys got up from their places to investigate. The newcomers consisted of two girls and a boy, plus the requisite Digimon. All of them were still blinking sleepily from the after-effects of the forest's spell. One of them was familiar. 

"Mary!" Oki greeted. "What are you doing here?" 

The girl grimaced. "Mom made such a fuss over me coming home safe, I had to run off again just to get some breathing space... and I thought I might be useful here." 

"That's what I thought," said the boy with the Agumon. 

The girl with the Tentomon shrugged. "I just came for the fun of it. Who are you guys?" 

"I'm Oki, and this is Kata, and our Digimon, Nami and RB," said Oki. "Who are you?" 

The redheaded girl grinned at him. "I remember you! You're Dr. Kido's kid. I'm Izumi Seiko. This is my buddy Spike." 

"I'm Yagami Hoshi," the boy said. "My partner's name is Pepper. We came to help you." 

"It is help that will be needed," said Ebon Angewomon. "Dark times are brewing, but I believe I know ways of helping. You all can be of great assistance to me, if you are brave enough." 

She looked around the clearing. Though her eyes were hidden by her mask, each of the children shuddered for a moment, feeling briefly as if she had somehow looked straight through them. Then she smiled, and it was like the sun coming out from behind a storm cloud, making all of them forget that they had every been uncomfortable. 

"I see that you all are brave indeed," she said. "I am honored to be able to work among such valiant young people." 

Much to Oki's surprise, she turned to face him, favoring him with a smile that he was certain was meant for him alone, like a handmade gift. 

"Would you walk with me for a moment, young man? There are things I wish us to discuss in privacy." 

"Oh, um... sure," he said, briefly flustered. 

She beckoned to him, and they walked, stepping out of the pavilion and into the garden. It was strange, walking with her - she was taller than a normal human being by several feet, making Oki feel as if he were a child again, walking with his mother. He had to fight the impulse to reach up and hold her hand. They came to a bench at the very edge of the garden, close enough to the forest that the trees could cast their shade down over them. Ebon Angewoman seated herself gracefully and indicated that Oki should do the same. He copied her movements more awkwardly, feeling very self-aware in the presence of such a wise and beautiful being. 

"I wanted to speak to you," she said, "because I sense that your heart is troubled. I sensed it before, the day I met you, but the feeling is stronger than ever now." 

"Um," said Oki. 

"While I wear this mask, I lose sight of much of the physical world," said Ebon Angewomon. "It makes me more sensitive to the spiritual world. I sense that there are feelings beneath your surface that you have not yet dealt with. You must if you are to survive this challenge." 

"I... don't know what you mean." 

"Oki," she said softly, "how do you feel about your father? How did you feel when he was captured?" 

"I was upset," he said. "I mean, who wouldn't be? He's my father. I came here to rescue him." 

Ebon Angewomon's expression shifted - to what, it was hard to say, only that the gentle look on her face took on a strange hardness. 

"Be honest, Oki. That isn't why you came, is it?" 

"Well..." It was on his tongue to defend himself, to say yes, he had come to rescue his father, of course he'd come to rescue his father, because... because... 

"You're right, it's not," he blurted. "I didn't come because of him. I mean, I came because I thought I should, but... but... He deserved it! He deserved what he got!" 

There. The words were out. That was the discontent that had been simmering and smouldering inside of him since the moment he had heard of his father's capture. 

"Did he?" asked Ebon Angewomon. There was no trace of censure in her voice, only quiet interest. Oki even thought she sounded approving, and he took courage. 

"Yes," he said bluntly. "He was weak. He always did what everyone else wanted him to do, even if it made him miserable. He couldn't stand up to anyone. That was why Chiaromon took him. If he had any strength at all, he wouldn't have broken down. He wouldn't have let Mr. Ishida talk him into going there when he _knew_ he shouldn't. He went anyway, and look where it got him!" 

His voice broke, and Ebon Angewomon put a comforting wing around him, wrapping him in soft feathers. Without even thinking about what he was doing, he clung to her, like a child seeking reassurance. She ran one of her elegant hands through his hair and made soothing noises, rocking him gently. 

"It's all right," she said softly. "Don't worry. Everything is going to be all right now. You are under my care. I will look after you, as long as you need me." 

"But... but I shouldn't... I shouldn't be saying things like this. He's my father - I - I'm supposed to respect him..." 

"Some people are not worthy of respect, Oki," she said. "It breaks my heart to see such people with children like you, children who deserve better... especially when my own son was taken from me. How I miss having a son..." 

"Are... are you saying...?" 

"I want your help, Oki," said Ebon Angewomon. "I need your help. I need you to help bring people like your father to the justice they deserve. Then I will have a son again. Everything can be put to rights if you will help me." 

Oki heard something in her voice that sounded like a sob. He realized that he could not bear to see Ebon Angewomon cry. He felt his courage return. 

"What can I do?" he asked. 

**To Be Continued...**


	5. Recovery Program

**Recovery Program**

  


**By: SilvorMoon**

Kaiya stared up at the new arrivals, hardly able to believe what she was seeing. This was just too much, on top of everything else. Bad enough that the Digital World was being threatened by a mysterious new monster, even worse that she and the rest of her group were about to be finished off by a gang of angry Bakemon, but now _these_ two had to show up! She had heard her father describe them often enough that she knew exactly who they were: Arukenimon and Mummymon, two Ultimate Virus Digimon who had plagued the previous wave of Chosen Children, and who, by all accounts, should have been dead and gone years ago. Despite the danger, Kaiya felt an overwhelming urge to throw up her hands and screech her frustration that every force in the universe seemed to want to align against her. 

While everyone was still gawping in shock, the woman suddenly leaped down from the tree, performing a midair spin that made her long, silvery hair swirl around her. There was a confusing blur of red and silver, and then she was not a woman at all, but a colossal spider. At the same moment, the man in at the base of the tree tugged at a corner of his uniform, whipping it off in a swirl of blue that left him transformed into the likeness of a bandaged, walking corpse. Both of them rushed towards the battlefield, and Kaiya fought to keep her composure, even when she knew there was no way their Digimon could stand up to these horrors. 

Even as she watched, Mummymon hefted his gun and fired a blast in her direction. She gave a shriek and dived out of the way... but there was no need. The laser missed her by several feet and struck a Bakemon, which bellowed and burst into a million bits of data. 

"Oops! Sorry about that!" Mummymon called to her. "My aim is a little rusty." 

"It was never that good to begin with," Arukenimon snapped from the other side of the field, where she was busily cocooning Bakemon with ropes of red webbing. With their hands tied, they were defenseless against the smaller Digimon, who dealt with them handily. 

"What in the...?" said Kaiya, feeling that someone had just changed the rules of the game without telling her. "Are you saying you're here to _help?_" 

"Why not?" Mummymon replied, as he casually blasted another Bakemon into oblivion. "We would have been here sooner, you know, but we've been out of circulation for some years. It took us a while to get our bearings." 

"But you're supposed to be the _bad guys_!" Mitsu exclaimed, sounding scandalized. 

"Bad," said Arukenimon, "is largely determined by whose side you're on." 

"Be cool," said Tasuke to Mitsu. "If they wanna help, who are we to argue?" 

Within moments, the last of the Bakemon had been dealt with, and the little band was regrouping. The children and their partners kept their distance from the newly arrived monsters, still not sure if they wanted to trust them. The newcomers didn't seem to care; they had shifted back to human form again, and Mummymon was making a professional inspection of the area. 

"I think we got them all," he said, with a satisfied nod. "Well, my darling, it looks like we've still got it." 

Arukenimon gave the area a cool evaluation. "Not bad, I suppose. Not that Bakemon are much of a test." 

"I still don't get it," said Mitsu, frowning. "What are you doing here?" 

"Well, it's complicated," Mummymon replied. 

"Only for you," said Arukenimon. "We're here because we were sent. How hard is that to understand?" 

"Sent?" Tasuke repeated. "By who? And aren't you supposed to be dead?" 

"They are," answered a voice, "but then again, so am I, and it hasn't stopped me yet." 

By now, no one was surprised to see Oikawa materialize in the shadows of the trees. He looked more tired than ever; all that could be seen of him was the faintest trace of color surrounded by the palest of purple shimmers. Nevertheless, he looked rather more cheerful than the last time they had seen him. 

"Please forgive my appearance, or lack of it," he said. "Summoning these two took more out of me than I expected. I don't think I could have done it if it hadn't been for the bond between us." 

"They were your servants, once, weren't they?" asked Kaiya. "Dad said something like that..." 

"They were more than that," Oikawa replied. "I created them. They were based on my own genetic code transformed to digital matter. In one respect they are almost like my children." 

"You always did have a sentimental streak, Oikawa," said Arukenimon dryly. 

"I don't deny it," he answered. "Be that as it may, I was able to use that bond to bring them back from the Primordial Databank and return them to life. I believe they will do better this time around." 

"How do we know they won't turn on us?" asked Mitsu, eying the monsters skeptically. "I remember what my father told me - they did terrible things..." 

"Many of them on my orders," said Oikawa. "Again, I remind you that these two are in many ways an extension of myself. These recreated versions are different from the monsters your parents knew because I myself am different... and, I suspect, because they've had a long time to think over how their last life went. Think of them as upgraded," he added, with a small smile. "Version 2.0." 

A few of those present found this statement amusing. Kaiya considered it, looking over the newly creatures, and decided there might be some truth in what Oikawa was saying. Her father, being an artist, had provided illustrations for Mr. Takaishi's Digital World books, and judging by the pictures he'd made, either her father's memory was faulty or these two really had changed. The difference was particularly noticeable in Mummymon, who had been painted as monstrous even in his human form, with dead gray skin and pointed teeth. The man she was looking at now could have easily passed for an ordinary human being, and not even a bad-looking one at that. He carried himself with dignity, and had a craggy, good-natured face with a mouth that looked accustomed to smiling. Shaggy brown-blonde hair hung over one face, concealing the area where the missing eye would have been. The other eye was a peculiar gold-yellow color that she had seen a few times in cats, but never in a human. Objectively, she decided he might even be rather attractive, if you liked your men rough-cut. 

The differences in Arukenimon were more subtle, but then, she had always been the more human of the two. The major difference Kaiya could see was in her costuming; she appeared to have abandoned the hat and glasses that she'd worn in her last life, leaving her eyes visible. They were the same gold color as her partner's, but all the same, just being able to see her face clearly made her seem less alien. Her features were sharp and intelligent - too sharp for true beauty, but implying a certain strength of character. At the moment, she was doing her best to look uninterested in what was going on around her, but she kept shooting looks at her sidekick when she thought no one was looking. She looked faintly surprised, as if not quite able to reconcile his new appearance to the way she had known him last time. 

"So, what are we supposed to do with them?" asked Kaze. He didn't look like he trusted the newcomers any more than Mitsu did. 

"They are here for your protection," said Oikawa sternly. "And if I were you, I would be polite to them about it. I do not believe you will find Arukenimon to be a forgiving creature, even in her present manifestation." 

Kaze and Keiji both looked insulted, and Kaze said, "We don't need protection. We were doing just fine when they showed up." 

"That's not what it looked like to-" Mummymon began, and silenced as Arukenimon stepped on his foot. 

"Be that as it may," said Oikawa, "I still will feel better knowing you have some protection. Your partners haven't learned to evolve yet, and that leaves you vulnerable. Also, in the event that you should need to stay in the Digital World for long stretches of time, they will be able to guide you and show you where to find food, water, and shelter. I believe they can prove themselves useful." 

"Do we really need to listen to this?" asked Arukenimon. "Because if you don't need us for anything, I can think of things I'd rather do than stand around listening to you telling them things I already know." 

"Things like what?" asked Oikawa. 

Arukenimon shrugged. "I'd think it would be obvious. We've been in suspended animation in the Primordial Databank for the past thirty years or so; we've got things to catch up on." 

"Ah," the shade replied. "Yes, I can understand that. All right, I think the danger is dealt with. You may go. Just be sure you can catch up later." 

"Yeah, yeah, I know," said Arukenimon. She grabbed her sidekick by the sleeve and began leading him away from the group. "Come on." 

"Come where? What for?" 

"So I don't have to suffer the embarrassment of having you call me those stupid pet names in public, that's why," she retorted. "If we're going to talk, we're going to do it in private." 

"What are we going to talk about?" he asked hopefully. 

"Well..." Her voice became more difficult to hear as the two of them moved deeper into the forest. "I saw what you did in the last fight with Myotismon. It was brave of you." 

"You think so?" 

"Yes... Stupid, but brave. I've been thinking..." 

Whatever she thought, it wasn't for the children to know, as both voices faded into obscurity, and then vanished altogether. Oikawa watched them a moment before shrugging. 

"Inevitable, really," he commented. "They might have even worked through it in their old life, if they hadn't met such untimely ends..." 

"Where are they going?" asked Natte innocently. 

"I'll tell you when you're older," said Kaiya. 

Kaze, who was old enough to know but young enough to find the whole idea of romance disgusting beyond measure said, "You know how people act in those soap operas Mom likes?" 

"Yeah," said Natte. 

"I think that's probably what they're going for." 

Natte made a face. "You mean they're gonna _kiss_ each other? _Gross!_" 

Kaiya wasn't sure whether to be scandalized or laugh. A few of the other children giggled. 

"I think the immediate danger has passed," said Oikawa. "Forgive me, but I'm going to have to leave you now. Bringing those two back has tired me, and I need to recover my strength if I'm going to get you past the barrier. I'll meet you at the shore of the Lake of Stars. Until then..." 

He said something that might have been a goodbye, but it was hard to hear, because he had faded out even as he was speaking. 

"Well, that was interesting, wasn't it?" said Keiji calmly. 

"That was _weird_ said Kaze. "I hope no more creepy things show up. We have enough monsters around here as it is." 

Since he wasn't looking at Natte as he spoke, Kaiya couldn't really scold him, but she thought she heard the usual note of scorn in his voice. 

"It's not right," said Mitsu, frowning. "They're _monsters_. I don't get it." 

"They seemed nice enough to me," Tasuke replied. "Just because they're Virus-types doesn't mean they're bad. Look at the Wormmons! They wouldn't hurt a Flymon." 

"Don't worry about her," said Bubbles the Patamon. "Mitsu just likes everything in black and white. She'll get used to them after a while." 

"Black and white, huh?" said Tasuke. "Remind me never to watch TV at her house." 

"Speaking of creatures," said Keiji, "has anyone seen Marcel?" 

Nobody had. Looking around, they saw that the clown was still in hiding, and was doing it so well that, despite the lack of obvious hiding places, no sign of him could be seen. The group split up and began to search for him, calling his name. Eventually. Yuki the Gatomon found him crouching at the top of a tall tree, curled into a ball and hiding his eyes, apparently oblivious to everything going on around him. When she tapped him on the shoulder, he gave a yelp and nearly fell out of the tree in surprise. He caught himself just in time, latching onto a handy branch and pulling himself upright again. 

"Don't sneak up on me like that!" he said, breathing hard and clutching at his heart. 

"If you don't want people to sneak up on you, you shouldn't cover your eyes," she scolded him. 

"I didn't want to see the monsters," answered Marcel meekly. 

"Oh, you're hopeless," Yuki said, lashing her tail. "Come on. Everyone's gone." 

Looking chagrined, Marcel came down out of his tree, blushing and stammering apologies to the children. He seemed ready to cry with shame, and Kaiya took pity on him. 

"It's all right, no harm done," she said soothingly. 

"Yeah, if you don't count calling a bunch of monsters on us and then running off to let us deal with them as harm," said Kaze. 

Marcel cringed. "I didn't mean it that way! I was only trying to help, I just-" 

"Yeah, right," Kaze snapped. "I wouldn't be surprised if he did it all on purpose. Who's to say he's not still working for Chiaromon and just pretending to be on our side?" 

"Kaze, be quiet! You know that's not true!" Kaiya scolded. "I'm sorry, Marcel. I don't know what's gotten into him lately." 

"He has the right to scold," said Marcel miserably. "I didn't want to leave you all, I really didn't - I would love to be able to help you if I could. I just wanted to make them visible so they couldn't sneak up on you, that's all, but when I looked at them, I - I - I just... panicked, and then..." 

"What," said Keiji, eyeing him seriously, "is your problem? You are a Mega Digimon. Those were just Champions. Those Ultimates took them on easily - it should have been simple for you to fight back. You said yourself that almost nothing can hurt you. How can you possibly be so afraid?" 

"If I knew that," Marcel replied, "I wouldn't be so scared." 

"Lay off him, Keiji," said Tasuke. "The guy's just - what do you call it? Pantophobic. You don't need a reason to be scared if you're pantophobic." 

"What does pants-of-obic mean?" asked Natte. 

Taksuke shrugged. "It means you're scared." 

"If I were a psychologist," said Kaiya, "I would sit you down and make you tell me about your life, and I'll bet we could find a reason for all this. Unfortunately, I'm not a psychologist, so we're just going to have to make do. Listen, Marcel, we're going to have to do something about this. We can't have you just up and disappearing every time there's trouble." 

"But what can I do?" he asked. "My attacks don't work - at least - not when I want them to, usually..." 

"You're just going to have to teach yourself not to be afraid," she said stubbornly. 

"How?" 

"Well... Every night, before you go to sleep, and every morning when you wake up, I want you to repeat to yourself twenty times, 'I am Marcel the Magnificent, and I am not afraid.' Tell yourself often enough, and maybe you'll start to believe it." 

He looked contemplative. "Do you think it will work?" 

"It couldn't hurt," she replied. 

"Then I'll do it," he said. 

"Good," said Kaiya. "You can start today." 

"Whatever you say," answered Marcel. As she walked away, he watched her with a dreamy look in his eyes. 

"Isn't she wonderful?" he said, more-or-less to Wingblade, who was still hanging around. "She's so clever and brave and beautiful..." 

"You're making me sick," said Wingblade, and flapped off to join his partner. 

Marcel sighed. The rest of the group was already pulling themselves together, and he got up and followed them, repeating under his breath, "I am Marcel the Magnificent, I am Marcel the Magnificent..." 

~*~

The next leg of the journey was mercifully uneventful. About an hour after they had left the parted company with the rest of the group, Arukenimon and Mummymon returned. Whatever the results of their conversation were, it seemed to have put them in a good mood; both of them were looking pleased with themselves. Nobody asked any questions, and they volunteered no information. 

Shortly after the reunion, they left the confines of the oak forest and reached a plain of yellow green grass. Everyone was glad to see the sun again. Not only was it cheerful to be back in open air, but the rolling hills held few hiding places for enemies. 

"We're getting close," said Kaiya, consulting her Digivice once again. 

"You said that ages ago," Savvy complained. 

"Well, now we're almost on top of it," she told the little dragon. "I can't see any space between us and the signal anymore." 

"The girl is correct," said Arukenimon. "We are very close - I suspect we'll be catching sight of it any minute now. Not that I have ever been to the Lake of Stars myself, mind you. Gennai has always been protective of his personal space; I never thought it worth my while to cross him." 

"Who is Gennai?" asked Mai. "I mean, I know he helped our parents, but who _is_ he?" 

"If you want his life story, you will have to ask him," she replied. "As I said, he's not what I'd call a close personal friend of mine. Ask Mummymon. He's the one with the interest in legends." 

Mai gratefully turned his attention to the other Digimon. Despite assurances that Arukenimon was completely harmless (to the children, anyway) he still had an instinctive feeling that he was better off dealing with Mummymon. He didn't seem to think there was anything at all odd about going from being the enemy in one lifetime to a staunch ally in the next. Being a shy child by nature, Mai felt much more comfortable talking to him than to his sharp-tongued partner. 

"_Do_ you know anything about him?" asked Mai. 

"Well, let me think," said Mummymon, staring off into space and scratching his head thoughtfully. "I might remember something...Yes, now I remember. From what I've been told, he's one of the sages." 

"The whats?" Tasuke asked. 

"Sages," said Marcel. "Wise men. They lived here, once, ages ago." 

"Who is he? The court historian?" asked Arukenimon, giving Marcel a glare. 

"He's a storyteller," Mai supplied. "He knows things." 

"Then why didn't you ask him in the first place?" she asked. 

Mai flushed. Mummymon tried to reassure him. 

"It's all right, I don't mind you asking," he said. 

"And I don't mind you not asking," Marcel added. "He might know something I don't. I'd hate to miss something because nobody asked." 

"Hm. I hadn't looked at it like that," said Mummymon. "All right, let's see, sages... Well, you know there are other worlds besides the Real World and the Digital World, right?" 

"Yeah," said Mai, thinking hard. "Mama talked about a world with a Dark Ocean... and a Dream World - that was where everyone fought Myotismon." 

"Not much of a dream, if you ask me," said Arukenimon. 

"Unfortunately," Mummymon replied. "Anyway, where was I? Ahem. Well, the sages come from one of those worlds - a world of Light, they say, to counteract the world of Darkness. The sages are the servants of the Harmonious Ones, and are dedicated to preserving the balance between Light and Darkness." 

"I think I heard something about this from Dad," said Mitsu. "Were they the ones who created the Digivices and everything?" 

"They might have been. I wasn't around at the time," said Mummymon with a shrug. 

"I remember," said Marcel dreamily, staring off into space the way he always did when a story came to mind. "They came to this world to defend it from... an evil Digimon... by creating the Tags, Crests, and Digivices that would be used by the Chosen Children and their partners. When the evil ones came, all of the sages were slain... all but one." 

"Gennai?" Tasuke guessed. 

Marcel nodded. "After the battle, he chose to remain in this world as its guardian, rather than return to his own dimension." 

"Probably didn't want to have to tell everyone back home his people screwed up," Arukenimon surmised. 

"That's not true!" said Marcel, looking scandalized. "He's too brave for that! He fought Piedmon single-handedly and survived!" It was clear from the tone of his voice that he couldn't imagine any higher level of courage. Arukenimon didn't look especially impressed. 

Fortunately, any further argument was avoided as they arrived at what was indisputably the Lake of Stars. For one thing, it was not possible that there be two such bodies of water anywhere in the immediate vicinity. For another, it was a most un-lake-like shade of pale purple. It flashed and sparkled in the bright sunlight, looking as though it really were full of glittering stars. The children stood and admired it, duly impressed. 

"Well, I guess this is it," said Kaiya. "Now what happens?" 

"Mr. Oikawa said he was going to open a portal," Keiji replied. 

"Yeah, well, I don't see one," said Tasuke. He pitched a rock into the lake, and it splashed and rippled, but did nothing magical. "All I see is a lot of water." 

"Patience," Arukenimon scolded. "Give him time to work." 

Seeing no other alternative, they sat down to wait, some of them more gratefully than others - after all, it had been a while since their last rest break, and they weren't all accustomed to travel. Natte settled down on a patch of soft grass, hugged Crawler to his chest, and went to sleep. Speedbump went to join them, and soon he was snoring loudly. The others simply relaxed, or strolled along the beach. Tasuke, more athletic than most, pitched more pebbles into the lake, looking extremely bored. Kaze fidgeted impatiently. 

"This is boring," he complained. "We probably aren't even in the right place. I don't see any houses or any portals anywhere. We ought to just turn around and-" 

At that moment, there was a burst of pink light from the bottom of the lake. The waters at the edge of the lake parted, revealing a long flight of stairs, leading down to it's depths. Kaze stared with his mouth hanging open, for once completely lost for words. Arukenimon gave him a superior look. 

"Next time, maybe you'll listen to me," she said. "You know, Oikawa told me about you." 

"What did he say?" Kaze asked suspiciously. 

"That I wouldn't like you," she replied, "and he was right." 

"Join the club," said Wingblade. 

"You all go on down," said Mummymon. "We'll stay up here and keep watch, I think." 

"Yes, somehow I doubt we'll be very welcome in his home," said Arukenimon. 

Kaiya looked at Kaze to see if he was going to make any retorts, but it seemed he had decided that Arukenimon was someone he didn't want to cross swords with. Kaiya wondered if the spider woman might teach her that trick; it would be nice to be able to make Kaze shut up once in a while. 

They went down. As soon as the last Digimon had stepped below the water level, the lake closed behind them. Kaiya cast a final glance over her shoulder and was just able to get a wavering underwater look at Arukenimon and Mummymon standing on the shore, and then even that was lost beyond the watery purple shadows. 

The flight of stairs had appeared from the top to be miles long, but to their surprise, they progressed rapidly. Despite being underwater, they were smooth and dry, broad enough that there was little chance of anyone stumbling. As they progressed, curious fish drifted up to have a look at the trespassers in their watery realm. At last, the group reached the bottom and found themselves facing an ornate wooden door. Tasuke gave it a push, and it swung silently open. 

They were surprised. Beyond the door lay, not the inside of a building, but a pleasant garden. A riot of flowering plants of varieties never seen on Earth were blooming profusely, despite the fact that the sun was nowhere to be seen. A little splashing brook had been carefully cultivated into tiny waterfalls and rippling eddies. Occasionally one of the lake fish would swim through the stream and resurface on the other side. A pebbled path led from the doorway through the garden, an obvious invitation. 

Following the path led them on a winding course through the gardens, over a bridge, and then, at last, to the front door of a house. It looked like a Japanese house of the classic style, save that one of those wouldn't usually have had several stories or multiple wings sprawling out in all directions. From the look of it, whoever had designed it had possessed more time and materials than architectural sense. Nevertheless, it was a friendly looking building, without the stuffy formality it would have had if it had been neat and symmetrical. Wind chimes along the roof of the front porch, tinkling musically in the breeze, and the corners of the roof were topped with fanciful finials and weather vanes. 

"I think you were right, Mai," said Tasuke, in obvious approval. "The guy who built this really had to be crazy." 

"It's going to be a pain finding him in all this," said Kaiya. 

"Well, he must be here somewhere," Keiji replied. "We'll find him." 

She walked up to the front door and knocked politely. There was no answer. When knocking again brought no results, she tried the handle and found it open. She shrugged; why wouldn't the door be open? The man of the house would have had no idea he was getting visitors if he thought he was completely sealed in. Beckoning for the others to follow, she slipped inside. 

Luck was with them. The front door opened into a spacious parlor, filled with lots of comfortable chairs and sofas - just the kind of place it would have been nice to spend an afternoon sipping tea and talking to friends. However, there was only one person in the room. Sitting at a desk in the corner of the room was a young man in monkish white robes. He was strikingly handsome, despite the fact that he was also looking extremely bored. He sat with his chin propped in one hand as he used the other to play solitaire on his computer. 

"Um, excuse me," said Kaiya. 

The man gave such a start that he knocked his mouse off the desk. 

"Oops! Sorry!" she said. "I didn't mean to scare you. We just wanted to ask-" 

"How did you get in here?" the young man interrupted. 

"Well, you see, we met Oikawa, and he said we ought to come talk to Gennai," Kaiya explained. It was a rather unclear explanation, but she was never at her best when trying to talk to handsome young men; they tended to distract her even when she was trying to keep her mind on business. "He opened the portal for us so we could get in." 

"I see," said the young man. "Well, I'll have to thank Mr. Oikawa if I ever get out of here." 

"So... can we talk to Gennai, then?" asked Kaiya. 

To her surprise, the young man laughed. "Who did you think you were talking to? His butler?" 

Several people gawped. 

"You're Gennai?" asked Tasuke. "I thought he would be like an old man or something! I mean, he's like a gazillion years old!" 

"A gazillion and three - I had my birthday last week," answered Gennai, eyes twinkling. "I suppose I could be an old man, if I wanted to be. I've worn that shape before, especially when I'm trying to win someone's trust, but I don't find it particularly comfortable. I like this form better, don't you?" 

"Uh, yeah, sure," said Kaiya, trying furiously not to blush. "Anyway... we needed to talk to you." 

Gennai dropped his silly manner. "Yes, I surmised as much. Chiaromon's done his best to keep me in the dark, but I can still get _some_ news from the outside. Enough to know things aren't going well out there. I'm not surprised Oikawa sent you for help." 

"You _can_ help, can't you?" asked Mitsu eagerly. 

"I will do everything I possibly can," he replied. "In case you didn't notice, I don't much care for being trapped in my own home. I don't like what Chiaromon's up to, either. It worries me - worries me a great deal. Unfortunately, any help I can give you is going to be limited to information and advice." 

"What?!" Tasuke yelped. "That's not right! You gave our parents Digivices and Crests and all kinds of good stuff!" 

"I did not," said Gennai. "They found those themselves. I only gave them a point in the right direction." 

"So give us a point already," said Kaze. "What do we do? Where do we go from here?" 

"Before I can tell you that, I want an update on the situation," Gennai replied. "How much exactly do you know about Chiaromon and his plans?" 

The children filled him in on what they knew so far about the mysterious half-and-half Digimon. Gennai listened in silence, his expression unreadable. When they were done, he sat back in his chair, thoughtfully running a hand through his hair. 

"Son of Myotisimon," he said. "Well, that fills in some blanks. I wondered where he had come from. It's unusual that such a powerful Digimon should just appear out of nowhere. Even with Piedmon, we knew he was coming for years..." 

His musings were interrupted by a yelp of fright. Gennai looked startled, and a few of the children and Digimon rolled there eyes. 

"You set Marcel off again!" said Tasuke. 

"Marcel? What's a Marcel?" Gennai asked blankly. 

"A weird Digimon," Mitsu supplied. "He's scared silly of Piedmon." 

"He's already silly," Yuki said. "And he's scared of everything." 

"Really? That's odd," said Gennai. "I mean, Piedmon's been gone for years and years. He's not likely to do any more harm. Why be afraid of him?" 

"There's a clue in that somewhere," said Kaiya. 

"I don't mean to be rude," said a disembodied voice from the region of the nearest sofa, "but it's bad enough being afraid without being psychoanalyzed, too." 

"Fair enough," said Gennai. "Would you at least come out so I can get a look at you?" 

"I'd just as soon stay where I am." 

"And I'd just as soon you did as you were told." 

The implied rebuke was enough to sting Marcel out of hiding. He stepped sheepishly back into review and submitted meekly to being studied. Gennai gave him a few moments of cool scrutiny. 

"I don't believe I've seen your type before," he said at last. 

"Chiaromon created me," Marcel answered. "I am given to understand that I am the only one of my kind." 

"And yet, you bear a striking resemblance to... the master of Spiral Mountain," Gennai replied, deciding it was best not to use the former Dark Master's name. 

"Yes," said Marcel, dropping his head as if admitting a character flaw. "I was programed using his data, altered to make me more controllable." 

"You are not proud of this? He was a great ruler - nearly conquered the world, you know." 

Marcel shuddered violently. "No! I would do anything _not_ to be like him!" 

"That's what I thought," Gennai said, nodding as if he'd proven something. "Yes, I think I understand now. I'll wager you're not much of a fighter, eh, Marcel?" 

"Marcel's a storyteller," said Kaiya. She had noticed that Marcel was looking not at all comfortable with this conversation, and felt the need to come to his rescue. "He might have been Chiaromon's once, but he's really very nice." 

"I never implied he wasn't. I've seen help come from unusual sources before," said Gennai mildly. He looked back at Marcel. "A storyteller, hm? As I recall, the name of your predecessor came from an old word for a storyteller. As much as you don't care for the name, you might deserve it more than he did." 

"I'd rather have as little to do with him as possible," said Marcel, who looked somewhat rattled by this new knowledge. 

"Nevertheless, I have an inkling it would do you some good to think about it," Gennai replied. "Like it or not, he is a part of you. As long as you deny that, you're missing a part of yourself." 

"Why would anyone want to be related to him?" asked Mitsu. "If I were in his shoes, I'd want to forget about Piedmon, too." 

"It was just a suggestion," Gennai answered. "But I'm sure you didn't come here to talk about him. You wanted information on how to defeat Chiaromon." 

"Yes. Do you have any?" asked Keiji. 

"Perhaps," he said, frowning a bit. "Chiaromon is an Ultimate Digimon. If it were simply a matter of physically destroying him, it could be done easily enough. What worries me is that I don't think Chiaromon is all you're going to be dealing with." 

"What do you mean?" asked Tasuke. 

"It's just a hunch. There have been strange energies moving around his palace - energies that don't seem to be associated with him. I have a feeling he is being assisted in his rise to power by some outside source, but I haven't been able to pin it down. It worries me." 

"Oikawa said something about an Ebon Angewomon," Mai offered. 

"Ah, yes. There's a sad case," said Gennai. "Yes, I do believe she would help Chiaromon, if she could. After all, he's her son." 

"What?" Tasuke exclaimed. "But Marcel said Chiaromon's mother was dead!" 

"Chiaromon said she _is_ dead," said Marcel, looking confused. 

"She is not," Gennai replied. "She attempted to halt one of Chiaromon's berserk rages, and was terribly injured in the process, so badly that Chiaromon never imagined she would live. He ran away rather than linger to watch her die. When she recovered, she secreted herself deep in the Sleeping Forest, where even Chiaromon is unable to enter. He never knew she survived." 

"Well, that puts a new spin on things, doesn't it?" said Kaiya to no one in particular. 

"She is a problem," Gennai agreed. "There's no predicting how she will act. She is essentially a good creature, but I don't believe she's in full possession of her mind anymore. She is capable of doing terrible things, all the while believing she is doing what is right. And I believe you have another problem as well..." 

"Our parents," said Natte. "Chiaromon's after our parents." 

"Correct," Gennai agreed. "That will be the difficult problem. The magic he is using is very powerful because it only works when the person he casts it upon is convinced to accept it. It is very difficult to break a spell when someone subconsciously doesn't want it broken. I doubt even destroying Chiaromon would break it. Freeing his captives won't be easy." 

"Wait a minute," said Kaiya. "Captives? I thought it was only Dr. Kido he'd captured." 

A shadow of surprise crossed Gennai's features. He frowned. 

"Oh, dear," he said softly. "I didn't realize... I had thought Oikawa would have told you..." 

"He didn't have a lot of power left, last time we saw him," said Mitsu. "He couldn't stay long." 

"Never mind that," said Kaze. "Get to the point! Who did he get this time?" 

For a moment, Gennai didn't answer. Looking at him, Kaiya suddenly got a sense of seeing through a mask. It crossed her mind that what she was seeing was a disguise: Gennai was not the laughing young man she'd seen when she first met him. That was a disguise, worn to give viewers a certain impression, to earn their trust, to put himself somewhere on the same level as a human. She wasn't really sure she could really understand what he was truly, but she had the creeping feeling that he was something powerful and ancient - not just old, like the eccentric wise man the original Chosen had met, but something that had lived before her great-grandparents and would still be living when her great-grandchildren were gone to dust, and yet still wouldn't be near the end of his years. Just now, she thought she saw something of the weight of all that time weighing on his shoulders. She thought of how he must have felt when all of his compatriots had died and left him alone in a world not his own. 

"Tasuke," he said gravely, "I'm sorry." 

Tasuke went pale behind his suntan. "What? But - how?" 

"Shortly after you arrived here, your father came after you - to check up on you, I believe, just to reassure himself that you were all right," Gennai replied. "Chiaromon found him." 

"No!" Tasuke protested. "He never - my dad would never give in to the darkness! Never!" 

"Tasuke, listen to me carefully," said Gennai. "Just because your father was caught in Chiaromon's web of lies doesn't reflect negatively on him. Chiaromon has a skill for taking a person's greatest strengths and twisting them to make them seem to be weaknesses." 

"But... Dad wasn't like that... Nothing _ever_ fazed him," said Tasuke. 

"And that is precisely what made him vulnerable," Gennai replied. "I remember when Daisuke was a boy. He was a regular firebrand, back then - always taking risks and jumping into things. That is one kind of courage, and it served him well at the time. He began to feel that the only way to be brave was to be fearless, which isn't the same thing at all. Now he's grown up, and he's learning that there is a different way to be brave: to have fears and deal with them, to take calculated risks, to learn discretion. He's a father now. He loves you and wants to protect you, even when he knows you can protect yourself. Chiaromon took a father's love and concern and used it to make him believe he was fearful and weak. He took his skill for putting on a brave face to encourage his friends, and made him see it as lies and deception. Can you imagine what it would do to Daisuke to see himself as cowardly and deceptive when he is supposed to be brave and true?" 

Tasuke was thoughtful for a moment. 

"Yeah..." he said slowly. "Yeah, I can see that..." 

"He has lost his identity," said Gennai, nodding. "Thus, the darkness trapped him." 

"But we can save him, right?" asked Mitsu eagerly. "We can get him and Dr. Kido back, can't we?" 

"It is possible. It will take powerful magic, though, to undo what has been done," answered Gennai. "If I were free, it is possible that I could do something, or contact people who can. As it is, I am sealed up here, of no use to anyone." 

"But Oikawa let us in," Mai began. 

"Yes, but the spell isn't keyed to you. It is keyed to me specifically, and that specificity makes it the more powerful. It is possible that Oikawa and I working together _could_ break it, provided we found a way to coordinate our efforts, but even if we did, it would leave us both so drained that Chiaromon would probably be able to best us both easily before we could do anything else. No, I am afraid you all will have to seek a different source of power." 

"Is there one?" asked Kaze. 

"There is," said Gennai, "but it's a long shot. And there is a danger involved, not just to yourselves, but the entire Digital World. Nevertheless, it might be the only option." 

"Well, don't just keep us in suspense!" Tasuke exclaimed. "What is it?" 

"The Crests," Gennai replied. 

Kaiya blinked. "Um... correct me if I'm wrong, but... aren't they gone?" 

"Not gone. Converted," Gennai replied. "Years ago, the Crests were incorporated into a powerful shield, meant to cover the Digital World and protect it from danger. The shield still stands. My teachers always taught me that you should never build anything you can't take apart again. After all, the Crests might be needed for something someday..." 

"Like freeing parents from bad magic," finished Crawler. 

Gennai smiled slightly at the Minomon. "Yes, I believe that would be one use for them. To that end, I made eight... well, call them Keys. Their purpose is to unlock the powers of the Crests and refocus them. I give them to you now." 

There was a shimmer in midair, and a small, flat box appeared, hovering a few feet above the floor, surrounded by a nimbus of pale light. Seeing no other options that made sense, Kaiya reached out and took it. It was heavier than it looked, falling weightily into her hands. It was made of some smooth, dark wood that gleamed reddish where the light struck it, and its outsides were worked with delicate gold patterns. 

She undid the latch and found a set of eight crystalline objects. They didn't look like her idea of keys; rather, what they most resembled were the glass icicles some people liked to hang on their Christmas trees. Each was identical to the others, and all were bright and shiny. They seemed unable to decide what color they were; one moment, Kaiya would think they were silver, only to reconsider and decide that they were blue, or purple, or pink. She held one up to the light, trying to get a better look, but it remained steadfastly ambiguous. 

"What color do you call this?" she asked. 

"That," said Gennai, "is the color of a possibility. You'd be amazed how many people can't see it." 

She gave him a considering look and found that he was smiling. She decided that he was kidding... and that he was also serious. 

"They'll be a little less... mercurial... once they've accepted the Crests' powers," he went on. "Keep them safe until then." 

"How do we use them?" asked Mai, standing on tiptoe for a better look. "How are we going to find the Crests?" 

"The same way the original Chosen did," Gennai replied. "They looked." 

Kaze looked affronted. "You mean we've gotta go wandering all over the place hoping we'll find a Crest lying under a rock somewhere?" 

"That's not right," said Mitsu. "The powers of the Crests are inside." 

"Correct," said Gennai. "However, adversity has been known to build virtue. You'll have better luck finding them traveling the Digital World than you would sitting and doing nothing. Besides, Chiaromon and his followers are still out there, and we still don't have a clear idea of what he's doing, or how, or with whose help. He bears watching." 

"Got it," said Kaiya. She shut the box and tucked it under her arm. "Thanks, Gennai. We won't let you down." 

"I have faith in you all," he replied. "I think it best that you leave now, before Chiaromon figures out I have company. Good luck." 

The children knew a dismissal when they heard one. They thanked the sage and said their goodbyes, then hurried back for the door in the garden and climbed the stairs to the surface. 

"What took you so long?" Arukenimon asked, when they had arrived. 

"We got off on some tangents," Kaiya replied. 

"I see," she answered. "I suppose you should know that while you were goofing around down there having tea with the great sage, a squad of assorted small Virii showed up looking for you." 

"We persuaded them to go away," added Mummymon, looking smug. 

"Oh," said Kaiya, blushing a little. "Sorry. We didn't mean to leave you in the lurch like that." 

"Oh, well," Arukenimon replied. She looked uncomfortable with being thanked. "That's what we're here for." 

"Anyway, we did get something accomplished," said Kaiya. She showed off the crystal Keys. Arukenimon studied them, but didn't try to touch them. 

"Yes, there is magic in these," she said softly. "I wouldn't let them out of your sight, if I were you." 

"Seeing as how they're what's going to set my dad free, I don't think I will," said Tasuke, with a hint of annoyance. 

"I think we should each take one," said Keiji. "It might be better than keeping them all together. That way, if something bad happens, it will be less likely that all of them are lost." 

"I agree," said Kaiya. She took one and pocketed it, noticing to herself how cold and heavy it felt. Each of the other children accepted one, right up until it was Natte's turn. 

"Don't give him one," said Kaze. "He can't use it." 

"Why not?" Surprisingly, the objection came from Arukenimon, who was giving the smallest of the children one of her piercing looks. 

"Because, he's a-" Kaze said, and then paused. It was only a very small pause, but it was just enough for him to change his mind about what he wanted to say. "Little kid," he finished. 

"If I'm not mistaken," said Wingblade in his cutting voice, "these keys are supposed to react to virtues. Judging by how the two of you act, I think Natte might be better off taking yours." 

Kaze gave his sister's partner a sharp look. "I ought to tape your beak shut." 

"Both of you, quiet," said Kaiya. She handed a Key to Natte, who eyed it with a faintly bothered expression. She wondered if he might believe what his brother had said about him being too young. 

"I guess we'd better go home now," said Tasuke with a sigh. "You know, break the news to Mom. Man, she's gonna have a fit." 

"Are you sure you're okay?" asked Mitsu, looking concerned. 

Tasuke colored a little. "Yeah, I'm fine. I mean, we're gonna get him back, right?" 

"Right," Mitsu agreed. She smiled at him, making him blush even more. 

"Ooh, Tasuke's got a girlfriend!" Savvy leered. "Hey, Mitsu, gonna kiss him to make him feel better?" 

"You leave Mitsu alone!" Bubbles squeaked. 

Kaiya sighed. "Definitely time to go home. Hey, Marcel, are you going to be okay while we're gone?" 

"I'll be fine," he replied, looking resigned to his fate. "Just... hurry back, all right? I don't like being all alone." 

"I'll try to come back tomorrow," she answered. She ignored the looks Kaze was shooting her. Let him think what he wanted. She felt a bit sorry for poor Marcel, and if she wanted to comfort him, that was her business. Just because it was obvious he had a crush on her didn't mean she'd ever reciprocate... 

She was pulled from her thoughts by the sight of someone handing her a small black box. She tried to get her eyes to focus on it, finally realizing it was a cellular phone, and Mummymon was offering it to her. 

"What's this for?" she managed. 

"To call us," Mummymon explained. "You know, when you get back." 

"After all, we don't intend to spend the entirety of our time babysitting you all," said Arukenimon. "Maybe your friend there can sit around twiddling his thumbs waiting for you to get back, but I intend to use my time productively." 

"There is a lot of lost time to make up for," said Mummymon. He gave her a hopeful look that she didn't entirely ignore. 

"It has been thirty years or so since I was last here," she said matter-of-factly. "I suppose it would be a good idea to see what's been going on in my absence." 

"Oh, well, better get going," said Tasuke, stifling a yawn. "I'm not used to this Japanese time - I'm jet lagged. I need to go home and get some sleep." 

"Let's go find an exit," said Keiji. "I'm ready to go home, too." 

The children and their partners all agreed that it had been a long day. They set out in search of the nearest passage back to the real world, each with his or her own thoughts. Some were looking forward to this as a great adventure. Others saw it as a mission to be completed. Some were still not sure they had what it took to rise to the occasion. 

Only one was quietly pondering using the whole thing as an opportunity to rid themselves of part of their own family. 

~*~

The young Ichijoujis were surprised to return home and find their father in residence. Ken, Miyako, and their partners were all sitting in the living room, conversing earnestly and seriously over cups of undrunk tea. They all looked up with a start as the children reappeared. 

"There you are," said Ken. "I was just thinking it was time you got home." 

"Dad!" Kaze exclaimed. "What are you doing here?" 

"Visiting," he answered. "Possibly making an extended visit. I had a discussion with Mr. Ishida earlier, and he made a suggestion that I think bears considering. Too many people have been vanishing lately. We don't know how far Chiaromon's powers reach. He suggested that we would all be safer if none of us are alone right now, so I'm temporarily moving back in until this whole mess blows over." 

Kaze's jaw dropped. "You're staying here? With us, and Mom?" 

"Is that such a surprise?" Ken asked. "These are dangerous times; I want to be here in case I need to protect you all." 

"But - but I thought you hated her!" said Kaze. 

Ken looked so stricken that Kaze flinched at the reaction. It was one of the few times since his attitude had turned sour that anyone had seen the boy look contrite. 

"I don't hate your mother," said Ken softly. "I never did." 

"Then why did you divorce her if you don't hate her?" Kaze persisted. 

"Because we weren't in love anymore," said Ken. "Maybe... maybe I was angry at her for a while, and hurt, but I never hated her. Miyako is still my friend, and I still care about her... and I still love all of you, no matter what. Do you understand?" 

Kaze didn't look like he did, but he nodded anyway. 

As usual, Kaiya made it her task to come to the rescue. 

"Let me tell you what we did today," she said. 

With some help from her brothers and the Digimon, she filled her parents in on their meeting with Oikawa, Gennai, and their assorted new Digimon friends. The discussion was sufficient to take everyone's minds off the uncomfortable questions for a while. Once the time the ensuing conversations were over with, Ken excused himself, saying he needed to go home and pack. Miyako walked him to the door. 

"I hope none of the kids get any ideas about this," he said. "I don't want to foster any illusions that we might get together again just because I'm moving back in for a while." 

"I don't think that's likely," Miyako replied. "Kaiya's realistic. She might hope otherwise, but I think she's accepted that there's things are over between you and me. Kaze... well, you heard what he said. He was surprised just to see you being protective of me! As for Natte, well..." 

"Natte knows," Ken finished quietly. 

Miyako nodded. "He understands more than I thought he would. Maybe it's really because he's so young - he doesn't have any preconceived notions." 

"We really ought to sit down with the others and talk to them about this sometime soon," said Ken. "I'd feel better about it if they heard the whole story, and I know you're tired of keeping secrets." 

"Oh, I am," said Miyako, sighing deeply. "I just keep telling myself, 'Today I'll tell them,' and I never do. It's hard. I don't like admitting the mistake I made, and when I think of how they'll react... Kaze is so hostile to Natte already, and he's getting worse every day. Can you imagine how he'd act if he knew?" 

"What makes you think he doesn't already?" asked Ken softly. 

Miyako blanched a little. "I never thought of that... but how could he? I mean, if no one told him... and he's never said anything..." 

"Children have been known to keep secrets from their parents," said Ken, his tone ironic. 

"I know," Miyako replied. "Well, we might as well clear the air, anyway. Just... give me a little more time, please, Ken? It was my mistake, so I ought to be the one to confess." 

"I should at least be there, to tell them my side of the story," said Ken. "I don't want them thinking I walked out on you and left you to hang just because you made a mistake. That's not what I want my children to grow up thinking." 

"You're still such a good person, Ken. You deserved better than me," she said. "I'm sorry for putting you through this." 

"It's as much my fault as yours. Stop blaming yourself. That's my department," he answered, with a hint of a smile. "Everything will be all right. You'll see. I'm still here for you." 

She gave him a weak smile. "Thanks, Ken. You're a good friend." 

He gave her a goodbye hug before walking out of the room. Kaze saw them, though he couldn't make out a word of their quiet conversation. He went to his room with a lot of thoughts on his mind. 

**

To Be Continued...

**


	6. Uneasy Alliances

_**Author's Note:** Well, it took a long time and a lot of work, but here it is - chapter six! I hope I can do the next part faster. Thanks for your patience, and thanks extra-specially to those who encouraged me. (You know who you are.) Oh, yeah, and happy holidays!_

**Uneasy Alliances**

**By: SilvorMoon**

Oki waited breathlessly, a little amazed at his own daring. He wasn't sure what he could do to help the ethereal being that was sitting next to him, but he had made the offer, and now he was going to have to go through with it. He half-expected her to name some impossible task, while the other half of him expected her to reconsider and realize that there was nothing a skinny human boy in glasses could do that an angel couldn't. Much to his relief, Ebon Angewoman only smiled reached out one of her pale hands to touch his face. 

"You are a good boy, Oki," she said. "You have a brave heart." 

"Not really," he admitted, "but I want to help, if I can." 

"Of course you can," she said. "Only someone like you can help me... only someone who understands pain as I do can know what is driving me. Do you know why Chiaromon is doing what he does?" 

"No, not really..." 

"He is trapped. He is being held captive by a dark force. He needs the power the chosen ones carry to free him. That is the only reason why he would sink to such an action as kidnapping. Only when he has the seven he needs will he be free to return to me. I would do anything to help him. Do you understand?" 

"I think so," answered Oki, "but what..." 

"Think a moment. The other chosen ones believe there is danger lurking here. They will be cautious about returning. They will need encouragement." 

Oki blinked. "Are you telling me I'm supposed to find some way to lure the rest of our parents over here so Chiaromon can capture them?" 

"Not to capture, Oki. Only... a short visit. He won't keep them forever, only just as long as it takes to free himself, and the sooner they are gathered, the sooner they will be freed. They will feel no pain. They won't suffer at all. They won't even realize any time has passed. Besides... haven't you ever wished you could live your own life, away from your parents?" 

"Well, yeah, but..." 

"This is your chance, Oki," she said. "Listen to me. There is nothing to be ashamed of. All children wish for a separation sooner or later. It is part of growing up, learning to be your own person, making your own decisions. If you don't break free of your parents, you will never be your own person, only a child living in their shadow. Now is the time to choose your own path." 

"So no harm is going to come to anyone?" asked Oki slowly. 

"None at all. It is not my nature to wish harm to anyone, only good." 

"And what exactly do I have to do?" 

Ebon Angewomon rested a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry. All you need to do is convince a few of your friends here to coax their parents into the Digital World. Only the weak and undeserving will fall prey to Chiaromon's magic. The rest will remain free. When it is over, everyone will be released. They will be free, Chiaromon will be free, you and your friends will be free. Can you not see that this is the best course?" 

Oki hesitated a moment, then nodded. "I'll do what I can." 

Ebon Angewomon smiled. "That will be enough. Thank you, Oki. I knew I could rely on you." She rose gracefully. "Come. It is time we returned to your friends." 

Eager to please, Oki followed after her, already formulating ideas in his mind as to how best to help this lovely, sad creature. 

*_I'm not going to end up like Dad. I won't let anyone decide my fate for me. I'll start a new life, right here... and maybe I won't go home after it's all over. I like it better here, anyway._* 

He returned to find the rest of the group sitting around the spring, chatting and nibbling at those strange, multi-flavored rolls. They seemed to be in a good mood, and welcomed him back. 

"You were gone a while," said Kata, slightly accusatory. He didn't seem to have liked being left alone with a group of people, even slightly familiar people. "What were you talking about all that time?" 

Oki started to tell him, and then stopped. Something told him that what had passed between himself and Ebon Angewomon was meant to be kept private. 

"I'll explain it to you later," he said. "It's kind of complicated." 

Kata shrugged; apparently he was used enough to keeping his thoughts to himself that he didn't mind when other people stayed silent as well. "Whenever you're ready then." 

Oki nodded. He did mean to tell them what was going on... eventually, once he knew how they would react. They might not understand if he blurted it out all at once. For now, he would have to watch, wait, and prepare. 

~*~

Preparations were a pain. Kaiya glared at the pile of odds and ends on her bed, trying to think if there was anything else she might possibly need. She could forget about basic creature comforts for a while - things like hot running water and microwaved food - but for her sojourn to the Digital World, she wanted to be at least halfway ready. 

The general consensus was that the group had to make an extended exploration of that computerized dimension if they were ever going to find the lost Crests, and they simply weren't going to be able to manage it without actually staying there for a while. The idea had been discussed throughout the night by assorted parents, with the parties who were actually involved sitting on the sidelines waiting for everything to be settled. By the time permission had been obtained from everyone in authority, most of the children had started packing already. 

"Can you think of anything I've missed?" Kaiya asked Wingblade. 

"Well, I know _I_ have everything," said Wingblade. "You know, brush, comb, styling mousse, hair dryer..." 

"Hair dryer?" she repeated. 

"Of course! Aren't you bringing yours?" 

Kaiya rolled her eyes. "And where do you think you're going to plug it in, hm?" 

"Um. I hadn't thought of that." 

"You've gotten spoiled, living here in the Real World," said Kaiya. "If you had grown up in the Digital World, you wouldn't have all this neat stuff you do here." 

"I suppose next you're going to tell me about the starving children in China?" he drawled. 

Kaiya decided to ignore him and went back to going through her bag, trying to make sure she wouldn't make it halfway across some Digital wasteland and realize she was missing something important. She sifted through a jumble of clothes, toothpaste, and other odds and ends, checking it against her mental inventory. She knew she was going to have to travel light - her luggage was limited to what she was willing to carry around for the next few days - but she did want to have at least a few clean pairs of socks and some basic hygiene items. After all, there were some things a girl just couldn't do without. 

"I _think_ that's everything," she said, zipping her bag shut. "You just watch, tomorrow I'll think of something else I need." 

Despite her resolutions not to worry about packing anymore, she continued prowling around her room, looking at things with an eye to whether or not they should come along. For the most part, the exercise was reassuring: most of what she saw she rejected without a second thought. Only one thing caught her eye. Sitting on a her bookshelf, among the tattered collection of paperback romances she liked, was a book of fairy tales. It hadn't been her choice in reading material; it was something some well-meaning relative, too distant to know her well, had given her as a present a few years back. The stories were a collection of lore and legend from all over the world, ranging from the classic Grimm's fairy tales to Greek myths. As a book, it was nice enough, with a leather cover and gilt-edged pages - a collector's edition, with beautifully detailed colorplate illustrations. As reading material, she thought it was a bit childish for her. She had never done more than leaf through it out of idle curiosity before sticking it on a shelf to gather dust. She had a notion she knew someone else who would like it, though. She picked it up and gave a glance in Wingblade's direction to make sure he wasn't watching her, but he was busy going through his own supplies, trying to decide how to cope with an unknown amount of time without proper feather care. Kaiya slipped the book into a pocket of her bag. 

"Is anyone else done yet?" called a voice. It seemed Kaze was done packing, and since nothing else of interest had happened in the next five minutes, he had gotten bored. 

"I am!" she called. She slung her bag over her shoulder and began heading for the living room. Wingblade followed, struggling to drag his things with him. Kaiya let out a sigh of exasperation. 

"You can't bring anything you can't carry," she told him. "Get rid of some of that junk." 

"But I _need_ it," he protested. 

"Not that much. Come back when you have a load that weighs less than you do." 

"That's no fair," he said. "You get to bring more stuff. You weigh a whole lot more than I do." 

"Watch it!" 

She walked out of the room and went to see what Kaze was doing. Luckily, he'd had enough sense to travel light; whatever he was carrying, it was small enough to fit comfortably into his school bookbag. Larva didn't seem to have brought anything at all, but then, he had a lot less vanity than Wingblade did. 

"Where's Natte?" Kaiya asked. 

"I dunno." 

"Well, isn't he in his room?" 

"I guess so," said Kaze. "If you knew that, what are you bugging me for?" 

Kaiya decided there was no point in answering a question like that and went to look for her youngest brother. He was sitting on the edge of his bed, playing with Crawler. A backpack was sitting beside him, obviously packed and ready to go. 

"What are you doing in here?" she asked. 

"Waiting," Natte answered. "I didn't want to wait out there with Kaze." 

"He won't pick on you while I'm with you," Kaiya promised in her most supportive big-sister tone. She escorted him out of his room. The first thing Kaze did upon seeing him was glare. 

"What took you so long?" he demanded. "We could have been there by now if you hadn't been holding us up." 

"He was packed," answered Kaiya, "as you would have known, if you'd felt like checking on him. All we're waiting on is-" 

"I'm ready!" Wingblade called. He flapped in with a bundle clutched in his claws. "Can we go now?" 

"In a minute," said Miyako. "This darned computer is giving me problems. It's been so _long_ since I've needed to go to the Digital World...." 

She continued scowling and muttering at the computer. Her sons and the Digimon gathered around her, waiting in fidgety silence, occasionally nudging each other out of the way as they jockeyed for better viewing positions. Kaiya, however, didn't feel like joining the fray, and instead wandered off to see what her father was doing. She was used to living with him most of the time, but she was not used to living with him in her mother's apartment, so it still gave her a slight turn to see him sitting at the kitchen table, sipping coffee and chatting quietly with Wormmon as if nothing unusual was going on. 

"Hello, Kaiya," he said. "Are you ready for the big trip?" 

"Ready as I'll ever be," she said. "I feel a little prepared, anyway. How are you?" 

He smiled a bit. "Well, I'm naturally worried for you, but I know you'll all do just fine. I've seen what you're up against, and it's bad, but I don't think it's something you all won't be able to handle, when the time comes. Given that, I wouldn't be surprised if I was the least nervous one here." 

Kaiya relaxed, feeling somewhat more reassured. Her father usually had that effect on her. She had heard the stories of how he'd been in the bad old days, but she had trouble believing them. It was hard to imagine her quiet, gentle, gracious father as a maniacal despot. The image just didn't seem to fit him, somehow. Now, seeing him smiling quietly as if the group was simply arranging a trip to summer camp, she decided now would be a good time to ask a question that was bothering her. 

"Dad," she said, "can I get your opinion on something?" 

"Of course." 

"Okay. Do you think it's wrong for a human to love a Digimon?" 

The peaceful smile on his face vanished; it was obvious the question had caught him off-guard. After a moment of consideration he said, "Of course it isn't. It's only natural for us to love our partners." 

"I don't mean it quite like that," she said. "I mean like romance stuff. Is that wrong?" 

He took a few more minutes to answer that. "Love is never wrong - only the absence of it." 

Kaiya scowled. "You read that off a fortune cookie. I want a real answer." 

"I don't think there is a simple answer to a question like that," said Ken. He took a deep breath. "I've thought about it myself, though, so I can give you my opinion. I think that if Digimon were just like animals, it wouldn't be right - it wouldn't even be possible. But Digimon are just like human beings on the inside. They feel all the same emotions we do - and they're capable of knowing their own feelings in a way an animal never could. Maybe some of them are cruel and selfish, but none of them are without feelings and thoughts of their own, and some of them are capable of depths of love and devotion that would be astounding in a human being. I think that if a human and a Digimon found real love between each other, it wouldn't be any different than love between human beings." He stopped and sighed. "I just made a speech, didn't I?" 

"You did, but that's okay," said Kaiya. "It told me what I wanted to know, anyway." 

"Good," said Ken. "So, if you don't mind my asking, why bring up such a question? Is it simply a matter of curiosity, or is this something more personal?" 

"Kind of both," said Kaiya. "See, last time I went to the Digital World, I met this Digimon, and he's got kind of a crush on me, and I'm not really sure how to deal with it." 

"Maybe you should ask him about it, then," said Ken. 

"I don't think he knows how to deal with it, either," said Kaiya. "He probably knows less than I do, when it comes to this sort of thing." 

"Well, it still wouldn't hurt to tell him up front that you're feeling uncertain," Ken answered knowledgeably. "It will only lead to problems down the road, if you aren't honest about your feelings. Ask me. I've been there." 

"Well, maybe," said Kaiya. "I'd hate to hurt his feelings though. I like him, even if I don't like him _that way,_ you know? He's really very sweet, but he's... he's missing something. It's kind of hard to put into words." 

"Who is he?" asked Ken. "I hesitate to ask 'what'." 

"His name is Marcel. He's a... well, I don't know what exactly to call him," said Kaiya. As memory caught up to her belatedly, she added, "He's the one who let you out of Chiaromon's dungeon." 

"Oh!" he said. There was a pause as he shifted gears from talking about a hypothetical Digimon to one he'd actually met and talked to. "Well, that puts things in a slightly different light. I begin to see what your problem is. On reflection, I can believe him being a romantic, but he is a little... naive? That might be the best word." 

"That's putting it mildly," said Kaiya. 

"Well, talk to him anyway," Ken advised. "It wouldn't hurt to talk to your mother, if you get a chance. She might have some insights on the matter that I don't." He grimaced ever-so-slightly. Kaiya wondered briefly what caused the reaction, but she didn't get a chance to ask before she heard her mother calling her. 

"There! The channel is finally open. Come on, guys, let's get a move on." 

Kaiya abandoned her conversation and walked into the living room. She found the rest of her family gathered around the computer, peering over Miyako's shoulders as she stared intently at the screen. 

"Okay," she said. "According to this, the others are ready and waiting. All we need to do is open the portal. Are you ready to go?" 

"We'd better be," said Kaiya. "If we don't get going soon, Wingblade will just think of more things he wants to take with him. You know, like the kitchen sink." 

"Hey, I dumped most of my stuff," Wingblade muttered. 

"Well, then, I guess you'd better hurry," answered Miyako dryly. "Okay, kids - behave yourselves, and _try_ to stay out of trouble! If you don't come back, I'll be very annoyed at you all." 

"Stay safe," said Ken. He was leaning in the doorframe between the living room and the kitchen, watching the action from the periphery. "And watch out for Chiaromon. I don't know what he'll think of you all, but I have a feeling he isn't going to welcome you... and you might be in trouble if he did." 

"Don't _worry_," said Kaze peevishly. "We'll be okay. You guys did it before, and you're okay." 

Ken exchanged a glance with Wormmon, but said nothing. 

"Well, let's get to it," said Miyako. "Good luck, kids! Digital gate, open!" 

There was a burst of light, and Kaiya felt an internal lurch, as if she were falling sideways. A tingle swept over her, and when it was gone... 

She stood in a grassy glen, surrounded by solemn pine trees. A tiny creek, hardly more than a foot wide, was winding its way through a cluster of boulders and slabs of mossy gray rock, making musical splashes as it dropped over miniature waterfalls. A glance off to the west showed the tips of mountains showing against the sky, so distant that they hardly looked like more than clouds. The scene would have been a perfect picture of tranquil, undisturbed nature, if there hadn't been an assortment of kids and Digimon climbing the rocks or playing in the stream. 

"There you guys are!" Tasuke said, jumping down from a rock. "It's 'bout time you got here!" 

"We were having packing issues," said Kaiya. "Anyway, now that we're here, let's get going. Does anyone know _where_ we're going?" 

"Might I make a suggestion?" asked Keiji in her quiet, deferential way. 

"What is it?" Kaiya replied. 

"You might try asking Arukenimon and Mummymon," the little girl suggested. "They said they'd be exploring. They may have seen or heard something of interest, and you do have their phone..." 

"Good idea! Why didn't I think of that?" asked Kaiya. 

She quickly clamped her hand on Wingblade's beak so he couldn't answer. Instead, she sat down on a convenient rock and pulled out the phone she'd been given. No one had bothered to tell her the number she was supposed to dial, but a check showed that there was only one number registered in the memory. She called it, and a brusque voice answered, "What is it?" 

"Arukenimon?" said Kaiya uneasily. "This is Kaiya Ichijouji..." 

"Oh, it's just you," said Arukenimon, sounding only marginally less annoyed. "I knew you'd get here sooner or later. Have you gotten anything useful accomplished yet?" 

"I was going to ask you the same thing." 

"Humph. I didn't come back to life just to put up with teenaged impertinence. Do your own work." 

"Well, you're a lot of help," said Kaiya, slightly annoyed. "Anyway, I just called to ask if you'd seen or heard anything while you were running around goofing off, or whatever it is you're doing." 

"You wouldn't be talking to me like that if I were there in person," said Arukenimon. "For your information, I've had my hands full just figuring out what's been going on around here in my absence. My job as Oikawa described it was to keep you kids from being eaten alive. The rest of the work you can do yourself." 

"Fine. Be that way," said Kaiya. "If for any reason you feel like making yourselves useful this week, we're going to be somewhere near the D-12 sector... unless we've left by the time you get here." 

"Humph. It'll take some time to get there. You can expect us to show up in about an hour... unless we don't," she added, so as not to appear too helpful. After a short pause, she added, "If I were you, I'd look for your mutant. _He_ told us to keep an eye on him, just in case - of what, I can't imagine. Anyway, he's done nothing but mope since you left, and I finally got sick of it and left him to himself." 

Kaiya nodded. There was no need to ask who _he_ was; the tone of mixed annoyance and grudging respect had to refer to Oikawa. "Fine, fine. Where is he?" 

"Oh, probably about a mile or two from the edge of the lake. That's where he was last time I saw him, anyway. Sitting beside a creek and sighing and looking pitiful. I was glad to get away from him." 

"Okay, then, we'll have a look for him," said Kaiya. "And if you should happen to come up with anything useful while you're on the way over, go ahead and call - don't wait to tell us when you see us." 

"Whatever. We're moving out. I suggest you do the same." 

There was a click, and Kaiya found herself holding a dead receiver. She sighed. 

"Nice lady. Sweet as ever," she said. "I guess some things never change." 

"What did she say?" asked Mai curiously. 

"She said she hasn't heard anything useful, and that we ought to try doing the job ourselves," Kaiya replied. "She's probably right, too. I don't think we can get somebody else to prove we're worthy of the Crests... or whatever we have to do to find them... Oh, and she said we ought to go looking for Marcel." 

"Why would we want to do that?" asked Kaze. 

"Why not?" answered Tasuke, with irrefutable logic. "If we don't know where we're going, we might as well go wherever he is, right?" 

Kaze didn't seem to like that, but he couldn't think of a response for it, either. 

"I want to find him," said Mai. "He was nice." 

"Good enough for me," said Kaiya. "Let's move out, troops." 

There were murmurs, some enthusiastic, some less so. Gradually, they died off into silence, and the little group trekked quietly into the forest. 

~*~

Something was bothering Kata. He was in his room, stretched out on his bed, staring at the ceiling, lost in thought. RB was flopped across his feet, trying to be comforting and encouraging. He was used to his partner's silences, but he had a vague feeling that this one was more serious than usual. 

"Is something wrong?" he asked at last. 

"I don't know," answered Kata thoughtfully. "Something just isn't sitting right with me. I'm still wondering about that EbonAngewomon woman. Why was she so interested in all of us? She brought us all together for a while, and then... then she sends us all home again without telling us hardly anything we didn't know before. What good does that do us?" 

"Maybe she just felt sociable?" RB suggested, without much conviction. 

"I don't think that's it," Kata murmured. He stared vaguely off into space for a while, and RB waited. He was used to his partner's silences; he would speak again when he had something useful to say. 

"You know," he said at last, "I'd give a lot to find out what EbonAngewomon was saying to Oki." 

"Ask him," RB suggested. "He's your friend, isn't he?" 

"I almost think he is," said Kata slowly. "I think he's trying to be. He might want to be." 

"So ask him," RB repeated. 

"Hm," was Kata's only response. 

He stretched out on his bed and stared at the ceiling. There was a mobile up there, made by his mother and hung there when he was just a small child - he literally couldn't remember a day when it had not been hanging there. It featured a dozen or so birds made of thin plastic in bright colors, light enough that they stirred in the faintest draft. Every time he opened his window, or even opened or shut the door, the movement of the air would send them all spinning around, looking for all the world like a flock of tropical avians startled into flight. He liked to watch it while he was trying to make up his mind about something, and now he watched them spinning slowly as his thoughts churned. 

*_I suppose I could ask Oki what he was talking about... The worst he could do is brush me off... I don't guess I'd really mind that much. I'd probably do the same thing... It's really none of my business, anyway. It might be rude to ask... He had such a strange look in his eyes when he came back. At least, I think he did. It's hard to tell. I haven't known him long enough to know what's weird and what isn't... Still, I've never seen that look before on anyone. I wonder what it was?_* 

He started to turn over, and was stopped by the feeling of something in his pocket. He reached into it and pulled out one of the marvelous pastries that EbonAngewomon had served her young guests. He had pocketed one of them before he'd left the Digital World, intending to eat it later. Like most teenaged boys, he was always eager for something good to eat, and he'd been intrigued by food that changed flavors from person to person. He had wondered if it would change according to his mood, and whether or not it would work outside the Digital World. Now, just out of curiosity, he peeled off a bit of the crust and popped it in his mouth. 

It tasted like... nothing. All his senses registered was the presence of something with a soft, clay-like texture residing in his mouth, but he tasted nothing at all. Surprised, he broke off another piece and tried again. There was not even a hint of a flavor; he'd drunk water that was more interesting. He looked down at the roll in puzzlement. 

*_Well, maybe the magic doesn't work outside the Digital World,_* he told himself. *_Maybe it even needs EbonAngewomon around to make it work._* 

Oddly enough, the thought didn't make him feel any better. The thought of being served fake food by a strange lady Digimon was not especially comforting. 

*_What can you think of a woman when even the food she serves you is a lie?_* 

He suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to call Oki and demand to know what EbonAngewomon had wanted to talk to him about in such privacy. He got up and began to reach for the phone. 

Someone knocked on his door. It was so sudden that he nearly lost his balance and fell off the bed. 

"Go away! I'm busy!" he shouted. 

"I'm sorry. I didn't hear any music." 

"Oh," he said, realizing belatedly who had to be at the door - after all, his parents weren't around, and there was only one other person left in the house. She didn't knock on his door that often, though. "What is it?" 

"Can I come in?" 

"Yeah, sure, I guess so." 

Kata sat up and tried to tidy himself a bit as Aiko walked in, with Melody trailing demurely behind. Aiko was probably the only person he loved completely and totally. The only other candidate for such devotion was his partner, but when it came down to human beings, there was no one he worshipped so much as his sister. His mother and father he loved, but it was a more complicated feeling, and greatly bound up in a teenager's desire for independence and a wish to be his own person and no one else while trying desperately to live up to his famous parents' reputations. Aiko gave him no such problems. She was simply sweet and beautiful and even more unable to function in the real world that Kata himself. Several times in the past Kata had put his potential status as a female-magnet in jeopardy by intervening between her and schoolyard bullies who saw her as an easy target. She would have been, if she didn't have a younger brother to back her up. She was such an innocent, always so ready to believe the best of anyone she encountered... 

"Hi," he said to her, watching her look around in her frightened-rabbit sort of way for a place to sit down. "Just shove some books off my desk chair. You won't hurt them." 

Aiko very gently picked up a stack of musical scores and set them on the desk. Only then did she seem to feel comfortable enough to sit down, folding her hands in her lap and regarding her brother with her wide blue eyes. Obviously she wanted to talk about something, or she wouldn't have come there at all, but she didn't seem to be in any hurry to start. Kata tried to say something to fill the silence. 

"Sorry we didn't bring you to the Digital World with us," he said. "You wouldn't have liked it, anyway. We didn't have a lot of fun." 

"I went," she said. 

Kata blinked. 

"I went to the Digital World without you," she clarified. "I didn't want to be left behind. I looked for you, but I couldn't find you." In a much smaller voice she added, "I found someone else, though." 

"Who?" Kata asked curiously. 

She shrugged. "I'm not... exactly sure. That is, he never told me his name." 

"Was it a Digimon?" he asked. "Or a human? Or something else?" 

"Maybe a little of all three," she said. 

That was not very clear, but Kata was used to getting those kinds of explanations. He decided to try a different tack. 

"Was it a guy?" he asked. 

Aiko nodded affirmative. 

"What did he look like?" 

"Well... He looked... almost human, but he had wings - one black and one white. He was dressed all in black and white, too. He had long blonde hair, and blue eyes. Just like mine." 

"Hm," said Kata, thinking that maybe she _was_ being as specific as she could when she said her new acquaintance was "maybe a little of all three." Based on a description like that, he doubted whether he could have said what manner of being she'd encountered, either. The thought of his naive sister being left alone in some uncharted Digital wilderness with a man who was more than likely not even human made him stomach twist, but he endeavored to remain calm. 

"You should be careful around strange guys like that," Kata cautioned. "You never know who could be looking for trouble." 

Aiko shook her head. "Not him. He wasn't doing anything wrong. He was just sad and lonely and wanted someone to talk to. He was nice to me. I liked him." 

"Hm," said Kata again. He was aware that he had probably been beaten before the battle had even been properly joined. Once Aiko made up her mind that she liked someone, that person could do no wrong. Whoever this person was, he would have to do something truly awful before he would work his way out of Aiko's good graces. Kata sighed. "Well, I guess as long as he treated you all right..." 

"Don't worry," she said. "I know he won't do anything to hurt me. He was - he was almost like an angel. Next time we go to the Digital World, maybe you can meet him." 

"I hope so," Kata said. 

From another part of the house, there came a commotion. 

"I'm home!" called a familiar voice. 

"Daddy!" Aiko exclaimed, and scampered from the room to go greet her father. Seeing that his interview was at an end, Kata got up to follow her. 

At the front door, Yamato and Sora were busy coping with coats and purses - it was the time of year when the air began to go from pleasantly brisk to uncomfortably chilly, unless one was armed with a windbreaker or light jacket to keep off the worst of the air's late-autumn bite. 

"Hi, kids," Sora greeted, catching her daughter's hug and returning it. "What have you two been doing while we were gone?" 

"Not much," said Aiko. She was, at least, clever enough not to tell her parents she'd gone world-hopping without their permission. 

"Oki came over to visit for a while," Kata offered. "He was feeling kind of down since his dad..." He trailed off and shrugged. 

"I'll bet," said Yamato grimly. "Well, you can tell him not to worry. I'm not going to forget what that Chiaromon did to him in a hurry. Neither will any of the others." 

"Chiaromon must be terrible," said Aiko. "I'm glad he didn't get you like he got Dr. Kido." 

"He almost did," said Yamato, "and it was partly thanks to you two that he didn't. Just knowing I had you to come home to was enough... and strange to say, he wasn't really that bad. _Wrong,_ certainly, but... there were times when he was almost nice." 

Sora shook her head, plainly not comprehending any of it. 

"Well, at least there's one small silver lining to all this," she said. "I'm glad to see you spending time with other boys your own age, Kata." 

"I like Oki all right," said Kata. "But don't get your hopes up." 

His parents laughed - rather indulgently, as if they suspected him of saying that in an effort to remain true to form. He frowned a little. He'd meant exactly what he'd said. He _did_ like Oki well enough, as far as he knew him. He just didn't think he knew everything about him, yet. 

"I wish there was something we could do to help," said Aiko, stroking Melody's feathered head pensively. "I hate never being able to do anything." 

"Well, I've had a talk with Mr. Yagami," her father replied, "and it looks like there's a chance you might be able to do something, after all. His son walked right out on us today - more or less told us that he was going to the Digital World and nothing we said or did was going to stop him. He could be right. Adults have been helpful from time to time, but I've never known one to save the Digital World on his own... Except maybe Oikawa, and he didn't come to a very happy ending." 

"Does that mean we can go?" asked Kata. He thought he'd feel marginally less guilty about going to the Digital World without his parents' knowledge if he had their permission, though he wasn't sure that permission would really work in retrospect. 

"I'll think about it," said Yamato evasively. "I want to discuss it with a few of the others, first... I definitely don't want you going alone. Hoshi is lucky he got back safely... and even luckier that Taichi didn't skin him alive for going out like that," he added, half-smiling at the memory. "If he'd stayed more than a few minutes, I think he really would have been in trouble." 

Kata felt a momentary pang of concern. Hoshi, he knew, had been one of the other children Ebon Angewomon had gathered; he would have seen Kata there. If he tried to comfort his father by letting him know he'd been with others... 

"Did he say what he did there?" asked Kata, trying to sound more curious than worried. 

Yamato shook his head. "No. Hoshi's pretty close-mouthed. Reminds me a lot of his aunt when she was a little kid. He just came back, said he'd seen and heard enough for one day, and walked into his room." 

"Oh," said Kata. He tried not to sigh with relief. 

"What if we went to the Digital World with a friend?" asked Aiko. "That would be safer, wouldn't it?" 

"Well, maybe..." Yamato hedged, "but-" 

"Can I go with Oki?" asked Kata, seizing his opportunity. "I promise I won't stay long. I just want to look around a little, that's all." 

"Right now?" asked Yamato, taken aback. 

"Yes," said Kata. "There's something I want to talk to him about, and that's the best place to do it." 

"Well, it's getting kind of late," Yamato began, but his wife cut him off. 

"Let him go," she said. "They won't get into too much trouble if they're together, as long as they don't wander too far. They will have their Digimon with them, after all." 

Yamato sighed. "I guess you're right. There's probably no keeping you kids out, anyway. It's in your blood. All right, go on and have your visit. Just try to be home in time for dinner, okay?" 

Kata nodded eagerly and scampered off. Yamato walked over to a nearby armchair and collapsed into it. 

"What a day this has been," he muttered. "Do you really think this is a good idea?" 

"Kata will be fine," Sora assured him. "It's easy to forget, we were younger than he was when we first went to the Digital World, and we didn't know the first thing about it, and we were still all right. Besides, I think we should do anything we can to encourage him to spend time with other people. I've been worried about this antisocial streak of his." 

"You're right," Yamato agreed. "I don't like seeing him with no friends but RB. If Oki can bring him out of his shell, I won't complain if they want to go to the Digital World or the mall or the moon." 

"I want to go, too," said Aiko, pouting a little. 

"Maybe next time," said Sora. "If this is a private conversation, they might not appreciate you tagging along." 

Aiko considered arguing against this show of favortism, but decided not to. If her outing today had taught her something, it was that she _could_ decide to do things for herself, without getting the permission of someone else. She would go back to the Digital World when if she wanted to, and nobody would ever have to know... 

...except, perhaps, Tenshi. 

~*~

Mitsu walked along as quickly as she could, trying her best to stay in the lead of the group. It wasn't always easy; after all, Kaiya was older and taller than her, and could therefore travel a bit more quickly than she could. She also seemed to have taken it upon herself to be the leader, a fact which gave Mitsu mixed emotions. When this adventure had started, she had pictured herself picking up somewhere where her father had left off, in a position of at least semi-leadership. (There was an ongoing debate, albeit a friendly one, as to whether or not Daisuke had really been the leader of the second team; the pervading opinion seemed to be that there had never been a leader at all, but simply a team effort.) Still, she liked the idea of spearheading an effort against the forces of evil. All her life she'd dreamed of having the chance to battle the Powers of Darkness the way her father had, and now that she had it, she was being upstaged. It annoyed her vaguely. If only something interesting would happen. Maybe they could meet Chiaromon himself! Then she'd show what she was made of... 

She suddenly became aware that someone or something was tugging at the hem of her skirt. She cast a suspicious glance behind her, in case Tasuke was trying some prank, but it was only Bubbles, her partner Patamon. He'd stopped flying and was now sitting still, his huge ears pricked to catch some sound. 

"What is it?" Mitsu asked. 

"I hear something!" he said. "A strange sound, like music." 

"Everybody stop!" Mitsu ordered. Much to her gratification, everybody did, looking at her curiously. She smiled a little. 

"Just be quiet," she told them. "Bubbles hears something." 

In the ensuing silence, Mai's Gatomon, Yuki, pricked up her ears. 

"I hear it, too," she declared. "It's flute music. It's coming from over there." 

"Didn't Dad say that Marcel played a flute?" asked Natte. "Maybe it's him!" 

"Then let's go look," said Kaiya. "I can't think of anyone else crazy enough to be playing a flute in the middle of nowhere, anyway." 

With that, she altered her course a little and began leading the group in the direction Yuki had indicated. Mitsu, feeling a bit crestfallen and a bit more annoyed, tramped silently along in her footsteps. 

The group hadn't been traveling long before the wind shifted, and suddenly, they could all hear the sounds of music being wafted toward them. It was indeed the sound of a flute, the whispery sound of wooden pipes playing a slow, poignant melody. Kaiya, the first to take notice of it, was suddenly and unstoppably reminded of a dark, rainy evening some months ago, just after she'd broken up with her latest boyfriend, and was feeling despondent and heartbroken and utterly alone... 

Almost as soon as that thought clicked, she managed to push through her momentary disorientation, and found herself standing back on the grassy hill she'd been climbing, looking down at a winding creek that shone silver against the green. She shook herself and looked around, noticing that the faces of the others were also fixed in glassy stares. It seemed Marcel's magic extended to more than just storytelling. 

"Snap out of it, guys," she said. "We've found Marcel... and I think he's lonely. Let's catch up to him." 

The others came out of their trances, blinking and staring as if they, too, were surprised to realize that they were not in some dark, lonely place, but standing on a sunny hilltop with a crowd of friends. Still disoriented, they followed Kaiya down the slope; it was doubtful if all of them remembered what they were supposed to be doing before they got to the bottom. 

By following the stream a short way, they eventually came to the "lake" Arukenimon had referred to. It was actually a large pond rather than a fully-fledged lake, though it was possible that it _had_ been a lake when Arukenimon had been better acquainted with the area - things in the Digital World were likely to change, sometimes on short notice, and after thirty years, it wouldn't have been remarkable if the lake had vanished entirely. It was still a pretty place, with a scattering of large rocks around its shores, making convenient sitting places, and water-lilies bloomed on its surface. Sitting on one of these rocks was Marcel, eyes closed, oblivious to all around him as he concentrated on his music. Kaiya tiptoed closer to him, in an effort to attract his attention without startling him. When he didn't notice her, she tapped him lightly on the shoulder. 

"Help!" he shouted, dropping his pipes. He looked around wildly, ready to flee as soon as he knew which direction the danger was coming from, and relaxed marginally when he saw that it was only Kaiya. 

"It's okay," she told him. "It's just us." 

"I see that," he said, his voice shaking slightly. "Please don't sneak up on me like that." 

"I tried not to," she said. "You just weren't paying attention." 

He looked down at his pipes, and then up at the sky, checking the position of the sun. 

"Gracious," he said. "The time has gotten away from me, hasn't it? I hadn't realized. I apologize for ignoring you. I truly was waiting for you to come, but I had to do something to pass the time, and-" 

"Yes, yes, it's all right! We're not angry," she assured him hastily. 

"Are you sure?" he asked. 

He looked up at her plaintively, and she made the mistake of meeting his eyes. She said, "Yeah," and hoped vaguely that it was the right answer; she had momentarily forgotten what it was they were talking about. She shook herself and broke off eye contact. 

*_I'm going to have to tattoo on my arm or something that this guy is hypnotic. I can't afford to be dozing off like this!_* 

"That's a relief," he said. "I'm so glad you're all back! I've been waiting here all night, and I was all alone..." 

"Weren't Arukenimon and Mummymon around?" asked Tasuke. 

"Well, yes," he admitted sheepishly, "but they aren't, er, the most reassuring company. Not that I'm not grateful, but..." 

"I know what you mean," said Kaiya. "I'm just glad they're on our side." 

She looked around, evaluating the state of her small troop. The older children were in good shape, even after a hike, but Mai and Natte seemed tired after walking up and down hills most of the morning. 

"Let's take a breather," she said. "We'll rest our feet a while and figure out where we want to go next. No point in being in a hurry if we don't know where we're going at all." 

The group agreed readily enough to this. Natte flopped down on a soft patch of grass and to all appearances went to sleep, using Crawler as a pillow. Taskue and Mitsu settled down on a convenient boulder and started up a conversation while their partners and several of the other Digimon played a game of hide-and-seek among the rocks. Kaze settled into the shadow of a large boulder and tossed rocks into the pond. Mai and Keiji seemed to be fascinated by the multicolored fish swimming in the shadows; from time to time, Mai would reach out a hand to try to chase one closer to shore so he could get a better look. Kaiya found herself standing alone with Marcel. 

"Aren't you going to join the others?" Marcel asked. 

"No, I don't think so," she said. "Someone has to stay on the sidelines and watch for trouble. I don't _think_ anything is going to go wrong, but with this bunch... well, you never know." 

"_I_ know what's going on," said Wingblade. "You just want to stand here and flir-" He was cut off abruptly as Kaiya shoved his beak shut. 

"What was he going to say?" asked Marcel, looking bewildered. 

"Nothing important," she said, giving her partner a glare. She decided it would be safest to change the subject. "By the way, Marcel, I brought you something. I thought you might like it. Hang on a minute while I dig it out." 

She knelt on the ground and began rummaging through her pack. Fortunately, since the book had been added last, it didn't take long for her to find it. As she brought it out, a thought struck her and she mentally ranted at herself for not thinking of it sooner. 

"Say, Marcel," she said., "you can read, can't you?" 

She hoped he wouldn't be offended by the idea that she might think he couldn't, but apparently he didn't know enough about the ways of the world to be bothered. 

"Yes, I can read," he said, nodding agreeably. "Chiaromon had someone teach me. He approves of his servants wanting to be educated. He even let me read some of his books. Some of them were interesting, but others I didn't like so much. I'm afraid we don't share many of the same tastes." 

"Oh," she said, somewhat stunned by this outpouring of information. "Well, then, here. Maybe you'll like this better." 

She proffered the book. Its gilt edges and the gold-tooled letters on its faux-leather cover shone brightly in the strong sunlight. Marcel stared at it as if he had never seen a book before. 

"For me?" he asked. 

"Of course," she said. "Go on, take it. I didn't go through all the trouble of bringing it here just to show it off." 

Marcel took the book with hands that trembled visibly and opened it, flipping gently through its pages, peering at the illustrations. As it slowly dawned upon him what it was, his eyes brimmed with tears. 

"It's beautiful," he whispered. "Just beautiful... I don't know how to thank you..." 

"I'm glad you like it," said Kaiya, smiling. "I think you'll probably get more enjoyment out of it than I would anyway." 

Marcel nodded, holding it protectively. "I'll treasure it, I promise you that." 

"Geez, man, don't blow a gasket or something," said Tasuke. "It's just a book." 

"Well, maybe nobody's ever given him anything before," said Kaiya. "Besides, some people like books." 

"Hey, I like books," Tasuke said. "I read the latest issue of Robot Mania Galaxy every month!" 

Kaiya ignored him. 

"I'll let you start reading," she said to Marcel. "Thick as that book is, it will take you a while." 

Marcel nodded, his attention fixed on his new acquisition. By the time Kaiya had walked five yards up the beach, he had become completely absorbed in his reading, once again lost to the world around him. 

"It doesn't take much to make him happy," she said to no one in particular. 

"That's pretty obvious," said Kaze. "He likes you, doesn't he?" 

Tasuke snickered. "Ooh, he got you good that time!" 

The next thing he knew, he had tripped and fallen face-first into the muddy ground. Nobody saw who tripped him, but Wingblade could be seen a short distance off, strolling along innocently and whistling. 

"That's enough of that from all of you," said Kaiya, unconsciously mimicking the tone her mother used to get them to settle down. "This is a serious situation, and we need to act like it, at least part of the time. We need to make some kind of a plan. Does anyone have any suggestions?" 

"I vote we have lunch," said Speedbump sleepily. 

"I mean," said Kaiya, as patiently as she could, "does anyone have any suggestions as to where we should go next?" 

There was a moment of silence. Everyone looked at each other inquisitively, hoping that anyone but themselves would have a suggestion. In that silence, the phone rang. It was so sudden that Marcel, caught up in his reading, jumped to his feet in fright and came dangerously close to dropping his precious book in the lake. Several other people flinched. Kaiya rolled her eyes and answered the phone. 

"Now what?" she asked. 

"Hello!" said a cheery voice on the other end of the line. "You won't _believe_ the day we're having!" 

"Hello, Mummymon," said Kaiya. "Do you have something to tell us, or were you just calling to be sociable?" 

"Er, well, actually, we do have something to report," he said. "It was really very strange... I don't really understand it all myself, but, well... Hm, where to begin? You see, well, we were just walking through the forest minding our own business, and-" 

He broke off with an indignant squawk, and there were muted sounds of a scuffle. Kaiya thought she heard a female voice saying something along the lines of, "Give me that phone, you..." and some muttered name-calling and muffled protests. At last, she heard a clear voice come through - Arukenimon, this time. 

"Next time, let _me_ do the talking," she was saying. "Sorry about that. If I'd let him tell it, he'd be at it all day without ever getting to the point. He'd have forgotten it by the time he was ready to tell you." 

"So what _is_ the point?" Kaiya demanded. 

"The point is," Arukenimon replied, "that we just had a run in with your friend Chiaromon." 

~*~

Not long beforehand, Mummymon and Arukenimon had been strolling casually through a forested part of the Digital World. They had traveled far the previous day, making their way to a sector that was more jungle than anything, full of palm-like trees, twisting vines, and flowers in every color imaginable, all of them competing with each other in their colors and fragrances. The overall effect was that of riotous beauty spread haphazardly over the landscape without care for form or composition. It was, in a primitive, uncivilized sort of way, wonderful to behold. Their eventual goal was to reach a small cave where they had formerly holed up, years and years ago, when their master hadn't had any other uses for them and they needed to lay low. They had left some supplies of various sorts there, and the cave was secluded enough that it was just possible that, if the scenery hadn't reprogrammed itself too drastically, their things were still there. At any rate, it was as good a reason as any to wander haphazardly across the countryside, and it gave them a goal to work towards while they were searching for information. 

For his part, Mummymon was enjoying the trip. It was rather nice to be strolling through this tropical paradise with his beloved Arukenimon at his side. He never would have believed, in his first life, that she could possibly be any lovelier, but here she was, living proof that in fact she could. He was not quite sure what it was, yet, but he was sure there was something, something that was more than just his delight in seeing her again after all this time. Time in the Primordial Databank was difficult to judge, and he couldn't have said if he'd spent years or hours there if someone hadn't told him, but his stay had been agonizingly lonely, and full of the fear of never seeing her again. Now he was back where he felt he belonged and very happy to be there, but he couldn't deny that there was something just a bit different about her. 

Maybe it was only that she was no longer quite as scowling and sullen as she'd once been. In her old life, it had seemed that she was always annoyed about something, and nothing had ever seemed to please her for more than a few moments. Now her normal expression was... not unhappy, but simply pensive, as if she always had a lot on her mind that kept her distracted from the rest of the world. Of course, when something _did_ intrude on those thoughts, she was as quick to snap and insult as she'd ever been, but that didn't happen as often as it once had. The oddest (and best, to his way of thinking) change was that she seemed to actually want him hanging around. On the day of their rebirth, she really had seemed glad to see him again, and their reunion was as good as he could have hoped for. Since then, she'd been more distant, and certainly not what he'd call affectionate. Still, she didn't ever let him out of her sight for more than a few minutes, and she refused to go to sleep at night unless she knew he was somewhere nearby. It was a puzzle, but an interesting one, and he was in no great hurry to solve it. 

*_I wonder what she's thinking?_* he mused, stealing a glance at her as she walked beside him. It was hard to do unobtrusively, as she was on the wrong side for his good eye to see her clearly without turning his head, but she looked just as distant and thoughtful as ever. She wasn't paying attention to him, at least. *_I hope she's not having second thoughts about all this. She didn't seem all that enthused about _helping_ the Chosen Children, but she wouldn't dare disobey Oikawa..._* 

However, he was not to discover, just then, what was on her mind, because they were both pulled from their musings by the sound of a voice. 

"Well, isn't this just the cutest thing?" it drawled. "I could paint it and put it on a Valentine card." 

Both of them looked up to see an unwelcome presence leering down at him. Chiariomon had been rather miffed at being forced to end his conversation with the girl Aiko, and even more annoyed when he heard the full report of what had been going on in his domain that day. Now he was not in the best of moods and teetering perilously close to his danger zone; his eyes flickered red as he spoke. 

"So," said Arukenimon. "You must be the Chiaromon everyone is talking about. Frankly I expected more than a fancy-feathered pretty boy." 

"Appearances can be decieving," he said. "And despite how yours have changed, I still know who you are: Arukenimon and Mummymon. My servants told me you two freaks were back in business, but I wanted to see it for myself." 

"Well, now you've seen," Mummymon snapped; both of them had bristled at being called _freaks_ "So now that you have, you can go away." 

"Not yet, I don't think," Chiaromon said. "I wanted to chat a bit first. Perhaps we can make an arrangement. You served my father, after all. You were born by his arts. We are practically siblings. We ought to try to get along, don't you think?" 

"We served Oikawa. _He_ created us with his own blood," said Arukenimon. "We never saw or heard from your father until the day he decided to torture us both to death for his own amusement." 

"Oikawa created you? Is that what you've heard?" Chiaromon asked. "He might flatter himself to think so. Certainly you might have been told so. But it isn't true. Oh, he might have done the menial labor, might have contributed the materials, but he never would have had the knowledge or skill to create life, even Digital life, without my father's had guiding him. You owe your lives to him." 

"Yes, and we paid our debts," said Arukenimon. "I, for one, want nothing more to do with him, or his misbegotten progeny." 

"And what of the progeny of your enemies?" he asked. "Do you really _want_ to serve them, now? Are you enjoying playing babysitter for a group of human teenagers? Do you think they'll be grateful for it? They know what you are. They'll never see you as anything but the monsters who tormented their parents. They'll never like or even trust you." 

"They don't have to," Arukenimon said. "I don't care if they do or not. I'm just doing my job. Oikawa's promised that once this is over with, he'll ask nothing more of us, and we'll have our freedom." 

"Do you believe him?" asked Chiaromon. "Your lives are tied to his, and his to the Digital World. He has far more power over you than he ever did. He can force you to do whatever he wishes. No matter what he promises, you are enslaved to him... unless you can find a protector more powerful than he is." 

"And I suppose that would be you?" asked Mummymon. 

"Why not?" Chiaromon replied. "Already I have incapacitated the mighty sage Gennai. I have plans in motion to break Oikawa's power as well. I had little hope from the outset of persuading him to join me, but I had higher hopes for the two of you. I hate to break anyone who might become a useful ally, but the fact remains that you two are the most powerful helpers the children have right now, and you will understand when I say that I cannot allow you to aid them. You cannot help them, and I cannot let you go free when you are under Oikawa's influence. You will serve me, or you will go back to the Primordial Databank. It is your choice." 

"You're forgetting something," said Arukenimon. 

"Really?" he asked casually. "And what would that be?" 

"This," said Arukenimon. 

The air around her warped, and suddenly she had become a giant spider. Mummymon followed her lead, shifting in a flash to his monster form. The two of them closed in on Chiaromon, who backed away, realizing rather belatedly how much larger and taller than him they were... 

Then he snapped. His feathers bristled, fangs and claws appeared, his eyes glowed red, his whole posture shifted from that of a calm, polite gentleman to a feral beast in a hunting crouch. He launched himself at his enemies, tearing at them with his razor-tipped talons, snapping like a wild animal at their throats. When they threw him back, he launched a rain of red light-arrows at them, forcing them to dodge. Nevertheless, he'd had very little real experience in battle - he'd accomplished most of his conquest by magic and persuasion, not brute strength. The truth was, he couldn't plan very well while he was in his berserk rage, only attack and react. On the other hand, Arukenimon and Mummymon were older and wiser, and they _had_ had some battle experience. It was also true that there were two of them and only one of him, and they _did_ know how to work well in tandem when the need arose. A frustrated Chiaromon found that his attacks were barely scratching them, much less doing the kind of mayhem he'd hoped for, and he howled incoherently in rage. Arukenimon rolled her eyes, shot out a bolt of red webbing, and before he knew what was happening, she'd tied him to a tree. He struggled and snarled, but the bonds holding him were so tight that he could hardly move, much less free himself. 

"That wasn't as hard as I thought it would be," Mummymon said. "Now that we've got him, what do we do with him?" 

"I have no idea," said Arukeniomon. She prodded her captive with a tentative foreleg, and he snapped at her. "It would be sweet to have revenge on Myotismon, even by proxy.... but on the other hand, I hate to do those children's job for them..." 

"Don't you dare destroy me!" Chiaromon snarled. He was so wildly angry he was actually frothing at the mouth; Mummymon backed away from him, fastidiously wiping spittle off his bandages. "The Lord of Demons will rise again! Darkness will take you all! You don't know the powers you're challenging!" 

"Oh, now this is interesting," said Arukenimon. "I don't believe I've heard of your Lord of Demons before." 

"I wonder what else he'll say if we prod him a little more?" asked Mummymon. He hefted his gun and pointed it experimentally at Chiaromon, who howled in new levels of rage and babbled in incoherent fury. It was a bit hard to follow all of it, but no doubt it would have eventually proven very interesting if they'd had time to piece it all together. 

Unfortunately, they were to be denied that chance, because just at that moment, a pair of humans were walking side by side in their general direction. 

"I don't see why we had to come out here," said Oki, wiping his brow. It was warm and muggy in the tropical jungle, and he didn't care for it. 

"I wanted to talk somewhere we were sure not to be interrupted," Kata replied. "This is about as private as it gets." 

"Don't complain," said Nami the Gomamon, prancing along unconcernedly at their heels. "You don't like people, either, remember?" 

"All right, all right," said Oki. "So now we're here. What do you want to talk about?" 

Kata shrugged. "You said you'd tell me later what Ebon Angewomon said to you. It's later." 

"I don't know if it's later enough," said Oki. "I'm still... you know, thinking about it all." 

"Maybe I can help you think," Kata said. "Come on. You can tell me. You _know_ I won't tell anyone." 

"Why are you so determined to find out, anyway?" 

"I don't know," said Kata, shrugging again. "I thought maybe we were going to be friends. I thought friends told each other things." 

Oki sighed. "All right. But... if I tell you, you've got to _promise_ you won't tell anyone unless I say it's okay. _Especially_ don't tell our parents. Promise?" 

"Promise," Kata said. 

"All right," he said. "Ebon Angewomon wants to help Chiaromon, and she wants me to help her help him. She wants _us_ to help her." 

Kata blinked. "Maybe I'm not catching on. I thought Chiaromon was the one who tried to lock our parents up just for some crazy experiment he's doing. And you want to help." 

"It's not like that!" said Oki. "Ebon Angewomon explained it to me. Chiaromon's in trouble, and he needs our parents to help him get free, but they won't help him now that they're convinced he's a monster. We've got to do it ourselves." 

"You want us to trick our own parents into letting them get captured." 

"Not captured, exactly," said Oki. "He'll let them go as soon as he's done. Ebon Angewomon promised they aren't being hurt. They won't even know it happened. It'll be okay." 

"I don't like it," said Kata. "If it was really all right, Ebon Angewomon would explain it to them, and they'd go along with it voluntarily. Besides, how do we know she's not tricking _you_? How do we know she's honest? Or that she really knows what's going on?" 

"Oh, for - Kata, she's an _angel_. Angels don't lie, do they?" asked Oki. "Besides, she saved our lives. If it weren't for her, we'd still be sleeping in that forest, and nobody would even know we were there. We owe her a little trust." 

"This is more than a little trust, Oki." 

"Well, next time we see Ebon Angewomon, you can talk to her, and she'll explain it to you. Then you'll see." 

Kata opened his mouth to say something. Then he shut it again. 

"Did you hear that?" he asked instead. 

"Hm?" Oki stopped walking and looked around. The Digimon pricked their ears up. 

"That's a weird noise," said Nami. "It kinda sounds like Oki when he tries to sing in the shower." 

"Very funny," said Oki. "It sounds like someone shouting... or maybe it's some kind of wild Digimon carrying on." 

"Maybe we'd better leave it alone?" RB suggested tentatively. "Those wild Digimon can get pretty nasty when you trespass in their territory." 

"Good idea," Oki agreed. "We'll finish this argument later, Kata." 

Kata thought about that idea. He really didn't want to let the matter drop, but on the other hand, he didn't want to become food for a hungry Tyrannomon or be trampled by angry Monochromon. The matter was decided for him when he heard the sound of footsteps crunching through the undergrowth. He looked up warily, expecting to see a wild Digimon charging toward him. Instead, he saw his sister, looking flushed and frightened, running as fast as her feet could carry her. 

"Aiko!" he shouted, half-relieved, half-annoyed. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be at home?" 

"I followed you," she panted. "I was trying to catch up to you, but then I heard a noise, and I went to look, and - oh, hurry, I think they're killing him!" 

The boys looked at each other, uncertain. Aiko regarded them with her wide blue eyes, which were now starting to fill with tears. That decided them - neither one of them could turn their backs on Aiko when she was so upset. 

"Lead the way," said Kata. 

They followed Aiko through the forest, drawing steadily closer to the mysterious sound. They were finally able to identify it: it was the sound of a male voice crying out in pain or anger - or both. Finally, they reached a place where the trees thinned somewhat, and they were able to see clearly what was going on. Tied to a tree was a handsome, golden-haired, humanoid Digimon, whose telltale mismatched wings marked him as being Chiaromon. Looming over him were two horrible monsters: a hideous mingling of human and spider, and a walking corpse with rotting gray skin and jagged shark's teeth. The humans had never seen these two before, but they had heard enough about Arukenimon and Mummymon to make the connection. Aiko, however, was hardly concerned about them. 

"Tenshi!" she shouted. 

Chiaromon raised his head, and his eyes widened in surprise - and shifted back to their proper shade of blue as he recognized her. 

"Aiko!" he called back. "Please, help me! They mean to torture me!" 

"Leave him alone!" Aiko shouted bravely. "He's not hurting anything!" 

"Yeah, get your slimy hands off of him," added Oki. He felt he hardly had a chance against a pair of high-level Digimon like these, but he felt it would rather compromise his position if he didn't at least make a token attempt to stand up for Chiaromon. 

Mummymon and Arukenimon looked at each other. 

"What do we do now?" Mummymon whispered. 

"I don't know," Arukenimon hissed back. "We can't hurt the children, but if they push a fight..." 

"Listen, you've got it all wrong," said Mummymon. "This isn't what it looks like!" 

"It looks like you've got a guy tied to a tree and a gun pointed at him," said Oki. "Which part am I seeing wrong?" 

"Er..." said Mummymon. 

Arukenimon glared at her partner, wishing she was back in her human form so she could kick him properly. 

"Don't bother," she told him. "You'll only make it worse. They aren't going to listen, and it'll be back to the Primordial Databank if we hurt them." 

"Strategic retreat, then?" 

"Unfortunately, yes," Arukenimon sighed. She turned her glare to Chiaromon. "You got lucky this time. But don't forget that _we_ aren't fooled by your pretty exterior. We'll be back, and next time you won't be so lucky." 

She spat a cloud of green mist that made all present cough and gag, covering their eyes as the toxic spray made them sting and water. By the time they could breathe again, both half-humans were gone. 

"Rats. They got away," Oki muttered. "Hey, er... Chiaromon? Are you... okay?" 

"Fine, thanks to you," he said. "I would be even further in your debt if you could release me." 

"I'll do it!" said RB. 

He trotted up to the tree, flexed his claws, and then, in one swift motion, slashed the webbing to shreds. Chiaromon stepped away, brushing stray strands from his clothing. Now that he could be seen clearly, he was even more impressive than he had been when they'd first seen him. For the first time, Kata suddenly realized how this man-Digimon could command the loyalty of his followers and even tempt someone like his father to believe and trust him. He truly looked like the angel Aiko had named him, golden and perfect and solemn as he appeared. Chiaromon caught his gaze for a second, and Kata got the unnerving sensation that he was being read like a book. Chiaromon nodded ever-so-slightly, as if he approved of him, and then went and bowed to Aiko. 

"My thanks, fair lady," he said. "Without your timely intervention, they surely would have killed me." 

"I had to help," she said, lowering her eyes shyly. "I couldn't let those monsters hurt you, not after you were so kind to me." 

"I could be nothing but kind to someone so lovely and gentle," he answered gallantly. He turned to Oki and Kata. "My thanks to you, as well. Might I have the honor of knowing your names?" 

"I'm Kata. I'm Aiko's brother." 

"Ah, I see," Chiaromon replied. "Yes, I do see a resemblance, now. Truly yours is a noble family. And you, sir?" 

"I'm Oki. Oki Kido." 

"Ah," said Chiaromon again. His expression became faintly sad. "Then you have done me a favor in exchange for disservice." 

"You mean... my dad?" asked Oki haltingly. 

"Yes, I'm afraid so. Please understand that I meant no harm to him," said Chiaromon. "I promise I will release him as soon as I am able." 

"I know," said Oki. "You had to, right? I... I heard you were in bad trouble, and that's why you're doing this." 

Chiaromon looked surprised, but he didn't ask where Oki had gotten the information. "I'm afraid that is so. I'm a prisoner myself, though you wouldn't know it to see me. I am bound to serve the Lord of Demons, and I cannot be free of him until I've arrayed the powers of seven of the Chosen ones against him. Otherwise I would never do such a thing." 

"I understand," said Oki. 

"Thank you," Chiaromon replied. "Thank you all. And now I must return to my home - I cannot be away too long, particularly when night draws nigh. I hope I will see you again." 

Without another word, he turned and leaped up to the lowest branches of a nearby tree, and then leaped again and was lost in the dense foliage. 

"There," said Oki. "Do you see? Are you convinced now? You have to believe Chiaromon is all right, now." 

Kata hesitated a moment. He still was not completely convinced, but with Oki and Aiko arrayed against him, he knew he didn't have a chance. 

"All right," he said. "I agree with you. I'll help." 

Meanwhile, Chiaromon was secure in the deep shadows of tree cover. He chuckled softly, eyes glinting. 

"Such trusting souls," he murmured. "So naive. A foul face may hide a fair heart, and a fair face a foul one." He laughed again. "Trust not in the one who seems both fair and foul, for you cannot be sure even of your own impressions... But to have the Children's children arrayed against them - that is sweet revenge indeed. And as for Aiko..." His eyes flickered again, from red to blue and back again in the time it took to blink. "No. I won't think of her. Not now. She's too innocent even for corruption. She's no good to me, and I'm no good to her..." 

He shook himself, and then, determinedly, he leaped from the branches to begin his flight home. 

~*~

"...and so we had no choice but to retreat," Arukenimon finished. 

"I see," said Kiaya, frowning. "So you think Chiaromon has them on his side?" 

"If he didn't before, I wouldn't be surprised if he does now," Arukenimon replied. "He's very persuasive. If he hadn't slipped up and made me angry, well... it's hard not to let yourself believe what he's saying. And who would you believe, if you had been there? A couple of monsters, or the helpless, handsome, silver-tongued victim?" 

"Well, when you put it like that..." said Kaiya. "I guess if I didn't know you were on our side, it would be a lot easier to believe Chiaromon's side of the story." 

"Exactly," said Arukenimon. "So now you are in trouble. Odds are good that you just got yourself some enemies that none of us can fight. We can't, Oikawa won't, Gennai wouldn't if he could. It's up to you, this time." 

"I understand. Thanks for the warning. I'm sorry I was sharp with you this morning; you've already helped us out a lot today." 

"Humph," said Arukenimon. "I just wish I'd given that Chiaromon a few bruises to remember me by before I had to let him go." 

"Next time you see him, give him all you want," said Kaiya. 

"I'll do that," said Arukenimon. "Count on it." 

She hung up. Kaiya put the phone away, frowning, and the others gathered around her with curiosity written all over their faces. 

"What was that all about?" asked Tasuke. "Something about Chiaromon?" 

"Who's on Chiaromon's side?" Mitsu asked. 

"We're not sure, yet," said Kaiya, "but it sounds like some of us other kids might have gotten persuaded by him." 

"You mean he caught them, too?" asked Mai, eyes wide. 

Kaiya shook her head sadly. "No. I mean they've joined him - we think. Arukenimon and Mummymon caught him and were trying to pump him for information about what he's up to, and some of the other kids came up and chased them away. From the sound of Arukenimon's description, it was Dr. Kido's son and the two Ishida kids." 

There was a general outcry. Mai and Keiji seemed to have been stunned speechless; Mitsu looked so angry Kaiya thought she might have an apoplectic fit. 

"Man!" Taskuke exclaimed. "That's nuts! We've gotta track them down and knock some sense into their heads." 

"I don't know," said Keiji slowly. "It seems to me that our job is to find the Crests. If we do that, Chiaromon should be beaten no matter what the other kids do. If we let ourselves get distracted by them, we'll never get the job done." 

"You're probably right," said Kaze. "I'd _still_ like to track them down and beat some sense into them, though." 

"Maybe later," said Kaiya. "I agree with Keiji, though. We really ought to stay focused on the task at hand. We'll have to be extra careful, though. Arukenimon said it, and she's right - the only people who can defend us from the other children are, well, us." 

Wingblade sighed. "Great. This is just great. Why doesn't someone just spring an army on us and get it over with?" 

Kaiya sighed and once again reached down to clamp his beak shut. 

Meanwhile, the hapless half-humans had decided to alter their course, doing an about-face to head for the location of their young charges as fast as they could travel. If she'd had time to worry about it, she would have been quite annoyed at having spent the whole day traveling just to have to turn around and go right back again without having accomplished anything. As it was, she had other things on her mind. 

"When I signed up for this trip, I had no idea what I was getting into," she muttered. "This is more than I wanted to deal with. Oikawa is going to owe us for this. You can back me up on it." 

"If you say so," said Mummymon distractedly. "Did you really mean it when you said Chiaromon was handsome?" 

Arukenimon glared at him. "If you can worry about something like that at a time like this, you're even stupider than I thought you were." 

"I'm just making sure." 

"If I said it, I meant it. That doesn't mean I like him. A snake might be beautiful, but that doesn't mean I want to pick it up." 

"So is that a yes or a no?" 

She rolled her eyes. "If I _had_ to choose between you and him, I'd pick you every time. That ought to tell you how low Chiaromon ranks in my sight. Now will you drop it?" 

"You really mean it?" 

"Yes, I mean it. Now, shut up." 

"Yes, precious." 

They walked a while in silence. However, after about five minutes or so, Mummymon apparently had forgotten about his order to be quiet and started talking again. 

"You know," he said slowly, "it occurs to me now that we just faced down Chiaromon." 

"Thank you for telling me. I never would have figured it out otherwise," said Arukenimon acidly. 

"Do you really want to be free?" 

Arukenimon almost stopped walking, the question surprised her so much. She turned to look at her partner and saw him regarding her with a seriousness that she did not ordinarily associate with him. 

"Yes," she said at last. "I want to be free. If only to find out what it's like." 

"So do I," he said. "Chiaromon offered us that. He knew what we wanted, and he offered it, and we didn't take it." 

"What are you getting at?" she asked. 

"We stood up to Chiaromon," he repeated. "Some of the Chosen Children didn't. Some of _their_ children didn't. We did. That says something for us, doesn't it?" 

She stared at him in surprise. 

"I hadn't thought of that," she said. "You're right. You're right, Mummymon, that does say something for us." 

And, wonder of wonders, she smiled just a little, and some of the uncertainty that had been on her face all that time seemed to lift. Mummymon beamed. Feeling that all was right with the world, he continued following her on their mission. 

**

To Be Continued....

**


	7. A Small Loss

**_Author's Note:_** Remember back near the beginning, when I warned you that there were unhappy things coming, and that not everyone was going to come out of them alive? They start here. Don't say I didn't warn you. 

**A Small Loss**

**By: SilvorMoon**

Chiaromon was restless. He was more than a little ashamed of himself for losing a fight with the two half-human hybrids, and rather more so for having to be rescued by those three young humans. It might all work out for the best, in the end, particularly since they seemed inclined to listen to him. Still, he'd wanted the hybrids on _his_ side, if he could get them, and being rescued from a fight gone wrong was embarrassing at any time. 

Still, there were other things to look forward to. He hadn't been lying to them when he'd told them that he was very close to eliminating their meddlesome master from this equation. One might have assumed that it was very hard to make a ghost do anything he didn't want to do, and that if he wanted to help the Children's children, Chiaromon would have no choice but to put up with it. It was true that a lot of Digimon felt that way, and expected their ghostly protector to help them out as much as he could. It was a stumbling block in Chiaromon's plans, but even a ghost had weaknesses, and Chiaromon was an expert at finding people's weak points... 

"Such a pity," he said. "It is disagreeable to involve innocents, but there are some things that are unavoidable if one wishes to make progress." 

"_I_ have no difficulties in involving innocents," said a voice in the shadows. 

"I know you don't, Devimon," answered Chiaromon. "_You_ scarcely know the meaning of the word." 

Devimon did not deign to reply. He still had not completely made up his mind about this strange half-and-half Digimon. He was compelled to obey him, of course, out of the loyalty that he had for the Lord of Demons... but that didn't mean he liked this young lordling. Of course, there weren't many people Devimon _did_ like, so that was all right. 

As if sensing his thoughts (something that Devimon wasn't completely convinced Chiaromon couldn't do) the other Digimon said, "I am under the impression that there is little love lost between you and Oikawa?" 

"That is correct." 

"You would be pleased, then, to rob him of his influence?" 

Devimon narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "What would it entail?" 

"A great deal of anguish on his part, most likely." 

"Enticing, as far as it goes" said Devimon, "but what about my part?" 

Chiaromon told him. Devimon smiled. 

"Fine," he said. "Consider the job taken." 

~*~

It was nearly sunset by the time Arukenimon and Mummymon rejoined the group, and the children had been traveling for most of the day with no clear direction in mind. That being the case, Kaiya was more than happy to use the arrival of their strange protectors as a reason to call a halt for the night. Since most of the group was feeling tired and footsore, they were more than happy to stop walking for the day and settle down on the cool, soft grass. Mai and Natte, neither of whom were quite as strong as the others, simply dropped where they stood and refused to go any further. Those with a bit more stamina scattered about the area to see if there was anything edible nearby, and to bring in wood for a fire. Mummymon struggled with lighting the rather damp wood for a while before Marcel finally crept forward and offered his services. Looking disgruntled, Mummymon stepped back and allowed the clown to touch one of his wands to the woodpile. It burst instantly into merry flames, crackling away as if it had been burning all day long. True, the flames were pink and blue and purple instead of a proper yellow-orange, but one couldn't have everything. 

"Would anyone care for a cup of tea?" asked Marcel. 

Rather to everyone's surprise, he pulled a teakettle out of his sleeve and set about suspending it over the blaze. The fact that it couldn't possibly have fit where it had apparently been didn't seem to bother him at all. He took a small box out of some other hidden space and began sprinkling powdered green tea into the pot. 

"I'll skip it," said Arukenimon disdainfully. 

"Wouldn't mind a cup, since you offered," said Mummymon. 

Marcel looked pleased and went about tending to the teapot. 

Kaiya shuffled over to the nearest convenient sitting spot and flopped down on the grass. She was glad that the two half-humans, odd though they were, had returned. They gave the party an adult presence that she couldn't quite manage, though she thought she was doing well under the circumstances. The children listened to her as they would to a babysitter; they listened to Arukenimon and Mummymon as if they were _parents_ - perhaps not their own, but still someone who commanded respect. Then again, it could just be Arukenimon's aura of vague menace that kept them in line... 

The girl's gaze strayed over to where Arukenimon had taken up residence. She was sitting on a tree stump, deep in conversation with... Kaiya blinked. What could Arukenimon possibly have to say to _Natte?_ The little boy was chattering away to her, without any sign of fear, his hands waving as he described something that must have been fascinating, though Kaiya was too far away to hear exactly what it was. Arukenimon was listening with every sign of intense interest. The expression in her catlike eyes was hard to read clearly, but Kaiya thought she detected a kind of longing, almost a hunger. It was the kind of thing that disturbed a protective older sister. She got up, made a pretense of stretching, and ambled over to where her youngest sibling was wrapping up his monologue. As soon as he realized his sister was there, he stopped in mid-sentence and looked up at her with wide eyes. 

"Hi," said Kaiya. "Are you two having a nice talk?" 

Natte nodded silently and put his thumb in his mouth. 

"Your brother has been answering questions for me," answered Arukenimon in her crisp voice. "He has been most informative." 

"He has," said Kaiya flatly. "I have to wonder what kind of questions you have to ask a boy like him." 

"Matters that concern me," Arukenimon said. She turned to Natte. "Run along and play with your friends, Natte. We can talk some more later." 

Natte nodded. "Bye bye, Auntie-kenimon." He scooted off to join some of the other children, who were just now involved in listening to Marcel tell silly stories while they waited for dinner to cook. 

"You two have gotten to be awfully close friends in a short amount of time," said Kaiya. 

Arukenimon gave a half-shrug and looked away. "It's not my fault if the brat can't say my name right." 

"Oh, come off it. You two were having a serious discussion about something. I want to know what it is that interests you so much. I saw that look in your eyes. This wasn't just any little fireside chat you were having." 

Arukenimon gave her a long, hard stare. 

"You would face me down, then, if you thought I intended your brother any harm?" she asked casually. "Even though you know you couldn't win if it came to a fight between us?" 

"If I had to." 

"You're a brave girl. Probably stupid, but I guess you can't have everything. But you don't need to worry. Not that I'm saying I'm completely trustworthy, but you can trust me in this. I mean your brother no harm. Far from it. I will not harm him, nor will I let any harm come to him while there is breath in my body. You have my word on that." 

Her voice shook slightly. Kaiya gave her a narrow look. 

"What _were_ you talking about?" 

"I can't tell you." 

"Why not?" 

"Because he made me promise not to, that's why." 

"What? What can he tell you that he can't tell me?" 

"That's his secret, isn't it?" Arukenimon retorted. "If you haven't figured it out by now, that's your problem.... I think your other brother has guessed, though. You might try asking him and see what kind of response you get. He's under no vow of secrecy." 

"Argh!" said Kaiya, throwing up her hands in disgust. "You're the most impossible woman I've ever met!" 

"Yes, I am," answered Arukenimon. "If you knew what it was like, you might understand a lot more than you do now." 

Kaiya turned and stalked away. "I'm going to talk to Marcel. At least he treats me with some respect." 

She slouched over to the fireside and did her best to listen to the story with the rest of the group, but her attention wandered. Perhaps it was because she had come in at the middle of the story, or because she had the fire between her and Marcel and couldn't meet his eyes properly, or maybe just because she was preoccupied, but his spell didn't seem to have as much of a hold on her as it usually did. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Arukenimon taking Mummymon aside and whispering something to him. His eye widened, and his jaw dropped in an expression of utter amazement. He gesticulated a bit as he whispered back to her, and she nodded. Kaiya frowned. He had been pointing at Natte. 

~*~

Seiko was well aware that there was trouble brewing, and equally aware that there was nothing she could really do about it. She settled for doing her unreachable routine, putting on her headphones and turning on one of her video games. She knew her father would be home soon, and when he did, she was going to be in trouble, so she might as well try to have some fun while she could. Her Tentomon, Spike, hovered worriedly over her shoulder. 

"Maybe we could explain it to him?" he asked, without much hope. 

"I doubt it," Seiko muttered. "He just doesn't get it. Nobody gets it." 

"You know, maybe it wouldn't be so bad for you to just _try_ to make them happy?" 

Seiko's only answer was a snort of disbelief. 

"Well, you could." 

"I'd go crazy." 

The argument, one-sided as it was, was interrupted by the sound of the front door being opened. Seiko didn't hear it, since she was wearing her headphones and could only just barely hear Spike talking to her, but the Tentomon heard it. He left his partner and went buzzing towards the door. 

"He's here," he announced. 

"Don't care," Seiko muttered sullenly. 

Spike sighed. He worried about his partner. He supposed it was probably just some kind of teenaged rebellious phase - not that he had more than a fuzzy understanding of what that meant - but he was starting to worry about Seiko lately. She had once been so close to her father, but these days... He shrugged, as best he could lacking shoulders, and flew out of the room to greet the man of the house. 

"Oh, hello, Spike," said Koushiro. "How was your day?" 

"A bit depressing," Spike admitted. "Seiko had a difficult day at school." 

"Again?" asked Koushiro. 

Spike nodded. Koushiro and Tentomon gave identical sighs. 

"What happened now?" Koushiro asked. 

"Well, the results for her math test came back... and, well..." 

"You don't have to tell me," said Koushiro. He shook his head. "I wish she wouldn't keep doing this to herself. I _know_ she can pass these things, if she tried. It's not like she doesn't know all the answers." 

Spike flicked his antennae in a gesture of resignation. "That's just it. She knows all the answers. She knows _too much._ She knew all the answers before she ever got into the class in the first place." 

"Then why can't she write them down?" Tentomon asked. 

"Well, I'm not sure," said Spike, "but I think she's bored." 

Koushiro shook his head. "Maybe it's time I had another talk with her. There's got to be a solution to this _somewhere_." 

"Good luck," said Spike. "She's hiding in her room again." 

"I'll root her out somehow," said Koushiro. 

He set out down the hall until he reached his daughter's door. It was closed, which he expected, and locked, which surprised him a bit. He knocked, waited a minute, and then knocked more loudly. 

"You know I'm out here," he called. "Are you going to open the door, or do I have to do it?" 

There was a long pause. Seiko was thinking. It was an eternal annoyance to her that the locks on the doors were eminently simple mechanisms that could be opened by any small child with a lollipop stick. If she made her father angry enough, he _would_ come in, whether the door was locked or not. With a sigh, she paused her game, got up, and unlocked the door. 

"That's better," said Koushiro. "Can I come in, or would you rather come out?" 

"Come in," Seiko replied. She went and sat down on her bed. Her father took a seat on her desk chair, while the two Tentomons took up places as resident flies on the wall. 

"I heard you had a rough day at school," said Koushiro. 

His daughter regarded him narrowly. "Have my teachers been talking to you?" 

"I heard it from Spike. He's worried about you. So am I." 

"Well, there's nothing to worry about. I know what I'm doing." 

"You realize you're failing half your classes." 

"I don't care." 

"Seiko, I don't understand it. You're a smart girl - brilliant, maybe. You know all these things backwards and forwards. I don't understand why it's so hard for you to pass a simple test." 

"It's not hard," Seiko muttered. "I'm just sick of it, that's all. Every day I'm stuck in class being taught things that you already taught me when I was a little kid. I know more about this stuff than the teachers do. I'm so tired of being treated like an idiot who can't even work out the cosine of a wave." 

"Not everyone can do that," Koushiro said. "That doesn't make them idiots." 

"Well, I can. I learned more from you than I'll ever learn in school, and I don't see why I ought to be sitting in class being tested on stuff I already know. Why can't I go out and do something _real_?" 

"Most people like you to have a college degree before they'll let you do any real work," Koushiro pointed out. "You're not likely to get one if you can't even graduate from high school." 

Seiko shrugged. "I don't need one. I'm going to come and work with you and Mr. Kido and Mr. Takenouchi at the lab." 

"And what if I won't let you?" 

"Dad, you _can't_ not let me! I know how to do the work. I _want_ to. I'd be a big help, really!" 

He shook his head. "Seiko, the Digital World isn't like one of your video games. Some of us have learned that, to our cost. It's complicated, and treacherous, sometimes. We're still struggling to learn all the rules. You've only seen the bright side of it - and maybe that's my fault for wanting to protect you. But the truth is, you need to be able to do more than memorize facts and do math equations to handle it." 

"But I _can_, Dad! Just give me a chance." 

"No. Listen. There are things you learn in school that have nothing to do with the things you're graded on. Things like learning how to get along with other people... and things like discipline. That means doing dull, boring work sometimes, because it needs to be done, not because it's what you want to do. For every afternoon we spend doing field studies in the Digital World, there are hours and hours spent back here at a desk, doing plain old facts and figures. And you're asking me to let you do that when you can't even get through a simple math class. I can't let you help me if I know you aren't willing to put your full effort into the work. What if you made a mistake and threw all our calculations out of whack? Sorry, Seiko, but you'd have to prove we can trust you before you can work with us." 

Seiko scowled. "Why can't you even trust your own daughter?" 

"Because trust has to be earned," said Koushiro softly, "even in your own family." 

There was a long, tense moment, as Seiko's eyes met her father's, and her fierce young will clashed with his calm, steady presence. The resistance she met surprised her. She was used to thinking of her father as a pleasant, slightly-absent minded person, someone who was formidable enough during a debate on the nature of some digital phenomenon, but otherwise harmless. The exploits of his childhood were no more real than the storybooks she'd read as a child, the ones that were special- ordered with her own name written in for the main character's. Just because the story was partially about him didn't make it seem any more possible. She'd believed it all when she was a little girl, but as she grew up, the idea that her father had once helped save the world had been outgrown with Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy. The sudden re-realization that she was sitting in her room facing down a man straight out of legend was a little more than she could stand to grasp, and she looked away. She could go on believing her father was just a man when she was looking at his scuffed shoes with one lace partially untied. 

"I want to see an improvement," said Koushiro. "Not just your grades. Work on your attitude. _Prove_ to me you're ready for some real work, and then we'll talk again." 

"Okay," she said glumly. 

Koushiro got up and ruffled her hair affectionately. "I know you can do it, Seiko. Just give it a try, that's all. And I'll see about talking to your teachers. Maybe we can work something out." 

Seiko didn't answer. Her father left the room, with his partner trailing behind him, and still she sat quietly where she was, staring thoughtfully at the wall. Spike hovered over to sit next to her. 

"What are you thinking?" he asked. 

"Dad doesn't trust me," she muttered. "He still treats me like a little kid. What do you think it would take to make him respect me?" 

"You might start by doing your homework," Spike suggested, without much real hope. 

"Homework is stupid," Seiko muttered. "It's just for practice, anyway. I don't need any more practice - I could do it in my sleep. I want to do something real. Something like Dad did." 

"You aren't planning to go back to the Digital World, are you?" 

Seiko's eyes lit up. "Why shouldn't I?" 

"I don't suppose telling you it's dangerous would do any good, would it?" 

"That's just the point, Spike. It has to be dangerous. There's no glory in beating the practice level; you have to win the game." 

"You have to beat the levels in between, too, you know." 

"I'm ready. I know I am." She jumped to her feet and turned on the computer. "I'll _make_ him realize I'm just as good as he was!" 

"I don't think this is going to work," said Spike. 

Right or not, he was too late. There was a flash, and Seiko and her partner had vanished. 

~*~

The day dawned, and that was the most that could be said for it. In the east, there was a faint lifting of the gloom, but it was that of exhausted sunbeams who had fought their way desperately through the clouds, and were now pale and wan from their exertions. The western side of the sky was still nearly black, and it was anyone's guess whether the weak sunlight would be able to clear it. The children and their companions stared at this unencouraging sight with bleak expressions. 

"Well, isn't this a lovely way to start the day," Arukenimon muttered. She was in a rather bad mood at having been forced to spend the night out in the open, and had spent the last few minutes directing Mummymon through the arduous process of getting all the twigs and leaves unsnarled from her hair. 

"Could be worse," said Tasuke cheerfully. "It might rain." 

"It won't," said Mummymon, giving the sky a thoughtful glance. "Not until later, anyway. Maybe tonight." 

"Then I propose we go as far as we can while it's still dry," said Kaiya. "Is there anywhere near here where we might find shelter?" 

"Possibly," said Arukenimon. "I vaguely recall there being a rest stop some ten miles that direction." She waved a hand vaguely. "Whether or not it's there now is anyone's guess." 

"Looks like we're going to get rained on," said Kaze. 

"I suggest," said Keiji, "that we alter our course to the west. There appears to be more tree- cover there. We're more likely to be able to make a shelter there, if we don't find one already made." 

"That will bring you closer to Chiaromon's lair," Marcel said timidly. 

"All the more reason to go there!" Mitsu announced. "He's the enemy, and we ought to be keeping an eye on him!" 

"I don't want to go that way," said Mai quietly. 

"Nor I," said Marcel. He looked around and added sheepishly, "if that's all right with you." 

"We don't have to go _that_ far," said Kaiya. "Just far enough to get out of the rain." 

With some grumbling, the group eventually decided that Keiji's proposition was probably the best one, and they set out in the direction of the distant treeline. It didn't _look_ that far away, and they set out with relatively high hopes. However, as the miles dragged on and the sky grew more leaden, their spirits dropped. The world seemed ominously silent. The only sound was that of the wind rushing over the prairie, and even that seemed less a sound than a kind of white noise that swallowed up all other sounds. The whole world had a desolate feel to it, a feeling that all other life had sensed the coming of something dreadful and fled, leaving only a handful of misguided wanderers to blunder unwittingly onward. The air was growing cold. The trees ahead seemed to become darker and more menacing with every step the travelers took. A few of the smaller children (and more than one Digimon) was making small noises of uneasiness. Marcel, a reluctant rearguard, was muttering his mantra under his breath: "I am Marcel the Magnificent, I am Marcel the Magnificent, I am..." 

Then he stopped. Everyone stopped, because coming from somewhere just up ahead was a sound that seemed totally out of place. Someone was laughing - not an unfriendly laugh, but a high- pitched, childlike giggle, completely carefree and innocent. The group glanced at each other in surprise. Then, without bothering to consult, the entire group moved in the direction of the laughter. 

At the border of the forest, they found a pleasant mossy area punctuated with miniature blue flowers. Fluttering around the clearing was a collection of brilliantly colored butterflies, flashing in every color of the rainbow, darting this way and that in a display of disorganized beauty. On the ground, a round green Digimon was hopping around wildly, laughing and panting as it attempted to catch the butterflies. Each time he captured one, it would do something different: burst like a firework, or make a musical chime, or pop like a bubble. 

"Hello, Pipimon!" Kaiya greeted. "We weren't expecting to see you here. Where's your friend?" 

"He's right here," said Pipimon, more intent on butterfly-catching than conversation. 

"Where?" asked Kaze, looking around. "I don't see anybody." 

"That," said a disembodied voice, "is because you don't know what you're looking for." 

Pipimon pounced on the final butterfly, which took off like a small rocket, turned upside-down in mid-flight, and dropped back to the ground. It hit the earth with a spray of purple sparks and turned into Oikawa. Kaze stepped back in surprise. 

"Wow," said Tasuke, impressed. "I didn't know you could do that." 

"I would have thought such displays of tomfoolery were beneath you," said Arukenimon. 

Oikawa shrugged. "It amuses Pipimon." To Tasuke, he said, "I wear this particular shape because it is what I'm used to, not because I have to. It's an advantage of not being quite alive." 

"Oh," said Tasuke, who didn't seem to know what to make of this. 

"That's cool!" his V-mon, Savvy, piped up. "Can you turn into a dinosaur next? How 'bout a robot?" 

"I think I will choose to ignore that bit of absurdity," said Oikawa. "I am inclined to indulge my partner, but that's a special case." 

"Aw, nuts," said Savvy. 

Oikawa ignored him. "Have any of you had any luck in your quest? I wasn't around to hear what came of your meeting with Gennai." 

"We found him. He gave us these." Kaiya produced the crystal Key that she had been given. It glowed softly in the gloom, its colors shifting gently. It reminded her suddenly of Oikawa's multicolored butterflies, and wondered vaguely if there was a connection somewhere. 

Oikawa studied the Key gravely. "Yes, this is an artifact of power... and it is capable of growing more powerful still." He reached out a hand, and then drew it back. "I will not touch it. I am not sure what would happen if I did. There is something here that reacts strongly to spiritual energy. Letting it fall into the wrong hands - even well-meaning wrong hands - would likely do it a great deal of harm." 

"Gennai says they're supposed to unlock the powers of the Crests," Mitsu offered. 

"I see," said Oikawa. "Yes, I can see how that would work. Quite cunning work, really... but then, Gennai seems to be a cunning man, at times..." 

His gaze wandered, and the children sensed he was talking more to himself than to them. A few people fidgeted, sensing that they were not going to get anything out of this meeting than they had already heard. Then his attention snapped back to them, and they felt his focus settle on them so palpably that they flinched. 

"Well," he said, in a surprisingly mild tone, "this makes my initial advice more relevant than ever. These Keys are quite different from the Crests, and must be handled with particular care. They will react to powerful spiritual forces, whatever their nature. Brought in contact with great fear, or sadness, or anger, _that_ is what they will absorb. If your hearts falter, your quest will be lost." 

"On the other hand," said Taskue knowledgeably, "it means we don't have to be brave or smart or any of that to make 'em work. We just have to find someone who is." 

"There is that," said Oikawa. "Still, I don't see that making the work that much more simple in the long run. People of great virtue are rare at any given time." 

"We definitely can't let Chiaromon get his slimy paws on one," Arukenimon said, eyes narrowed. "He's everything all at once. He'd break it in half." 

"Precisely," Oikawa replied. 

"Fun," muttered Kaiya. 

"So, where are you off to now?" the spirit inquired. 

"We aren't quite sure," said Kaiya. "At the moment, we're looking for a place to get out of the rain, when it comes." 

Oikawa looked distant a moment. "It will not rain until just after nightfall. That much I feel. However, there is very little shelter anywhere near here. However, I could try to find..." 

His expression suddenly shifted to one of wary watchfulness. He looked around, eyes narrowed, peering into the shadows at something only he could see. 

"Careful!" he hissed. "Something is coming." 

The children and their Digimon instinctively drew closer together, while Mummymon and Arukenimon tensed, prepared to transform the minute anything should go wrong. Marcel, in classic form, gave a squeak of fright and tried to escape, but Kaze caught him by one of his ribbons and yanked him back. 

"Oh, no you don't!" he snapped. "You're _staying_ here this time!" 

"That's right," agreed a voice. "None of you are going anywhere." 

Out of the shadows stepped a familiar shape. Devimon strode from the forest, head held high, a gloating smile on his face. Oikawa's expression did not change, but the air around him glowed vivid purple. 

"What are you doing here?" he demanded. "You belong in the darkness with the rest of the demons." 

"Not when I have work to do," Devimon replied. 

"Then leave us alone and go work," said Kaze boldly. "We weren't bothering you." 

Devimon threw back his head and laughed. "You? You are none of my concern. You are far weaker than your parents ever were when they were in this world, and I have become far stronger now that the Lord of Demons is returning to his own. No, you and your little pets are of no consequence. I have my sights on other targets." 

"You plan to pick on someone your own size, for a change, hm?" Arukenimon taunted. 

"No," said Devimon. "I have no use for you, either. I know I'm no match for you, more's the pity. No, I've come to pick on someone much, much _smaller._" 

Much to the children's confusion, a look of dawning dread passed over the faces of both half- humans, while Oikawa stared with an expression of utter disbelief and horror, as if he couldn't believe even Devimon would sink so low as to... what? 

"Oh, no you don't!" shouted Mummymon in sudden outrage. 

"Wouldn't what?" asked Mitsu. 

Nobody answered. Oikawa took a step toward his Digimon, as if to protect him, and instinctively the others followed suit. Unfortunately, the sudden movements unnerved Pipimon, and he began darting around in crazy loops, squeaking in panic. 

"Stop! We've got to get out of here!" Oikawa shouted. 

"Get out of the way!" Devimon snarled, reaching out one attenuated arm to brush Mitsu out of his way. Yuki, infuriated, lunged at him and began trying to claw his face, and he was forced to attend to that for a while. 

"That's right! Go get him!" Mitsu cheered. 

"No, _don't_ get him!" said Mummymon, exasperated. "I can't fight him if she's in the way!" 

That was one problem, at least, that solved itself. Devimon finally managed to latch on to Yuki's long tail, and he twirled her over his head once before letting her fly. She sailed gracefully through the air to land with a _whump_ on the moss. Under ordinary circumstances, Mitsu would have run to her side to see if she was all right. As it was, she wound up having to witness something much less pleasant. 

"Move, you interfering brats!" Devimon snarled. He lashed out with one claw, and the children felt a wave of force spring from it that battered them to all sides, and even the more powerful Digimon had to brace themselves as if they stood before a hurricaine-force wind. The blast only lasted a few seconds, but in that span of time, Pipimon was completely unguarded. He looked up at the terror looming over him and tried to make a run for it. Devimon's claw lashed out, and black energy rolled from it, enveloping the tiny Digimon. Pipimon gave a squeal that bordered on ultrasonic, scraping across the upper limits of human hearing. Then there was a burst of green sparks, and the little Digimon was no more. 

"_NOOOOOOO!_" 

Oikawa dropped to his hands and knees, howling in incoherent agony. His cry went on and on, without need for breath. Gradually, it weakened and faded away, leaving only a shattered man bent under the weight of the blow. Devimon strode over to him and laughed. 

"So the mighty falls," he sneered. "Where are your awesome powers now, Spirit of the Digital World? Can you fight me now that I've killed your precious pet?" 

Oikawa did not respond. Devimon laughed again. 

"I thought not," he said. "It's a pity you're only voice and vapor, Oikawa. I'd take pleasure in grinding your face into the dirt. As it is, I think I'll just stand here enjoying having you kneeling at my feet." 

"Get away from him!" shouted Mummymon. He took a few steps forward, and Arukenimon pulled him back. 

"No," she said. "Look." 

Oikawa was getting up. He stood, very slowly, like a man who is not sure of his strength. His eyes were blazing - not black anymore, but a vivid violet. His hair and robes were stirring in some unseen wind. The pale light around him flashed and danced like tongues of fire. Devimon took an involuntary step back. The specter seemed somehow taller and darker than before, looming over the dark Digimon like something from a nightmare. 

"You," said Oikawa softly. "You... have... gone... too... far." 

Devimon regarded him with surprise for a moment. Then his sneer came back. 

"What are you going to do about it if I have?" he asked. "You have no power against me now. You don't have the power to put out a candle, now, do you? You couldn't-" 

Something snapped. The world seemed to quake for a moment, and a powerful wind rushed by, nearly throwing the onlookers off their feet, causing hair and clothing to whip crazily. The space where Devimon stood wavered wildly for a minute, like air rising from hot pavement. Devimon had time for a cry of surprise, and then he was... 

Gone. 

Oikawa dropped to his knees again, appearing as just an ordinary man once more. His outline was so faint he could barely be seen. He seemed to be sobbing softly, calling Pipimon's name. Arukenimon and Mummymon rushed to his side. 

"Come on, boss, pull yourself together," Mummymon said encouragingly. 

"He's right," Arukenimon said. "The world hasn't come to an end yet. Get a grip." 

At first, Oikawa didn't seem to realize they were there. Then, with an effort, he rose to a kneeling position and shook himself. 

"You're right," he said unsteadily. "It's not over yet... I shouldn't have done that." 

"Yes, you should have," Arukenimon said. "The world is better off without him." 

"What did you do?" asked Tasuke. "Where did Devimon go?" 

"I - erased him." 

"Deleted him, you mean?" asked Mitsu. "You sent him back to the Primary Village?" 

"No. He is erased. His data was disassembled and reincorporated into the fabric of the Digital World. His physical essence has been destroyed... he cannot return. I've killed him." 

"And a good thing, too," said Arukenimon. "I'd have done the same thing, if I could." 

Oikawa shook his head. "I've _never_ killed a Digimon... I'm sworn to protect them..." 

"Not when they're trying to kill you, dolt," his creation answered tartly. "Now, don't you have somewhere you need to be?" 

"You're right," he said. "I've got my priorities wrong. Children, forgive me, but I must leave... Meet me at the Primary Village as fast as you can get there." 

With no more words than that, he vanished. The children simply stared at the place he'd been. There was a little scorched spot where Pipimon had vanished, and that was all. The only sound in the world was that of Marcel whimpering softly and occasionally sniveling. Mummymon shook his head mournfully, but Arukenimon just scowled. 

"Disgraceful tactics," she muttered. "I wouldn't have stooped so low... but then, there's always been human in me..." 

"Would someone answer me a question?" asked Kaiya. "What in the name of all wonder just _happened_ here?" 

"Which part?" asked Mummymon. 

"The whole thing," Tasuke suggested. 

"Oh. Well," said Mummymon. "That's complicated." 

"Mummymon, dearest," said Arukenimon, "do me a favor, hm? I'm not in a good mood right now, so why don't you just not talk for a while and let me straighten this out myself, all right?" 

"Whatever you say, Precious." 

Mitsu was staring, aghast, at the place where Pipimon had vanished. 

"That was a terrible thing to do," she said, voice shaking. "Just... terrible. How could anything want to kill an innocent baby Digimon? He just crushed him, just like that..." 

"Someone might, if they had something to gain from it," said Arukenimon. "Come on. You heard what Oikawa said. We've got to go to the Primary Village, and we've got to do it fast. You can listen to explanations while we travel." She considered a moment. Then, with an easy shrug, she morphed into her spider form. "We'll be faster if the little ones ride." 

Not seeing any reason to argue, the older children helped the youngest clamber onto the spider-woman's back. There was room for several of them there, and once she'd made the suggestion, nothing would do but for Mummymon and Marcel to pitch in and help. In the end, Mai rode easily on Mummymon's shoulder, while Marcel carried Keiji piggy-back. In the end, only Kaiya, Mitsu, and Tasuke, plus the Digimon, were traveling on their own feet. They had to trot quickly to keep up with the pace Arukenimon was setting; it wasn't long before they were wishing they had a Digimon to ride on, too. 

"So, explain what just happened," said Kaiya as they hurried along. 

"Simple," said Arukenimon. "Chiaromon just took his best stab at killing Oikawa." 

"But he can't do that!" Kaze protested. "The old guy's already dead." 

"In a sense," Mummymon said, "but then again, he's still a _little_ alive, or he wouldn't still be here, would he?" 

"Mummymon, what did I say about being quiet?" 

"Sorry." 

"Yes, well," said Arukenimon, "Oikawa's _physical_ body is definitely destroyed. Just like he did for Devimon, in fact. He destroyed it himself thirty-odd years ago to provide energy for the healing of the Digital World. In doing so, he sealed himself to this world, but ironically enough, lost the ability to interact with it physically. Or he would have, if it weren't for Pipimon." 

"What's he got to do with anything?" asked Tasuke. "He's just a little Digimon." 

"He is Oikawa's partner," said Arukenimon. "See, he explained all this to me, after he first brought us back. Thought it would be useful for us to know. The two of them share a soul-link... which is probably lucky, since his soul is about all Oikawa has left these days. Oikawa is spiritually linked to Pipimon, and Pipimon is physically linked to the Digital World. Thus is Oikawa able to physically interact with the world, in partial measure. Take Pipimon out of the picture, and he will likely fade away. At the very least, he will lose most of his power to do anything practical, so he won't be a danger to Chiaromon anymore." 

"But... you can't _really_ kill a Digimon," said Keiji. "Not really. They just go back to the Primary Village and get hatched again. That's why we're going there now, right?" 

"Why do you think the Primary Village needs a guardian?" asked Arukenimon. 

"Umm..." said Keiji. 

"If a Digimon can't be killed, what difference does it make whether the eggs are safe or not? Nothing bad could really happen to them, if that were the case," the spider woman replied. "But that's not the case. Despite what you may have been led to believe, Digimon don't live forever." 

"How long do they live?" asked Taskuke. A few people glared at him, but he wasn't paying attention. 

"It varies." That was Marcel speaking. "It seems to depend on a lot of things. How high the Digimon evolves before it dies... what kills it... how it took care of itself while it was alive... oh, lots of things. Some of them live a very, very long time, by human standards. Thousands of years, some of them." 

"But they _all_ eventually wear out in the end," said Arukenimon, shooting Marcel a glare. "After a while, data tends to corrupt. When it gets to the point where it can no longer be reconfigured into a viable Digimon, well... that's the end of them. And there's one other thing - one very important thing for us to remember right now." 

"What's that?" asked Kaiya. 

"Do you know what happens if a Digimon egg is crushed?" 

"No." 

"Nothing. That's what." 

There was a hush over the group as they absorbed this. 

"Do you mean," asked Mitsu slowly, "that if you break a Digimon egg, the Digimon inside dies?" 

"Of course that's what I mean. What else would I mean? The egg is the holding place for the data of a reborn Digimon, where it gets reorganized. If you break the egg before the Digimon is ready to be hatched, the data gets damaged, and it can't be reconfigured." 

"Ohhh!" said Tasuke. "I get it - we've gotta get that egg before Chiaromon's goons get to it." 

"Right," Arukenimon agreed. "The game's not over while the egg is still safe. If you ask me, Oikawa was wise to destroy Devimon. It buys us some time. Mark my words, if he'd let that overgrown blackbird fly away, he would have gone straight to the Primary Village and started smashing eggs. It will be a little while before Chiaromon realizes his servant has been obliterated. We might still make it... and we have to make it. Precious lot of good Oikawa will be able to do while Pipimon's out of commission." 

There was a moment of thoughtful silence. Then: 

"How did he kill Devimon?" 

Everyone looked at Keiji. 

"How did he do it?" she repeated. "If he's powerless while Pipimon's gone, then he shouldn't have had the energy to obliterate a powerful high-level Digimon, should he?" 

"Hmm," said Arukenimon. Obviously this thought hadn't occurred to her. "Good question. How _did_ he do it?" 

"Us," said Mummymon. 

"Beg pardon?" his partner asked. 

"Us," Mummymon repeated. "He drew his power through us. We're connected to him, too, you know. It could have worked. You never know." 

"Humph," said Arukenimon. Something about the idea seemed to displease her. 

"It was a thought," Mummymon said, shrugging. 

"Well, try not to have any more thoughts. You're not good at it." She bounded forward, momentarily forgetting that she had passengers, and nearly dumped them in her haste to move ahead. Mummymon looked around at those left behind with a look of utter bafflement on his face. 

"What did I say?" 

"If I were to hazard a guess," said Kaiya slowly, "I think she doesn't like being reminded that she's tied to Oikawa." 

"Why not? I always liked him," Mummymon answered. 

"Well," said Keiji, "what happens if he does die? I mean, if you're both tied to him and you're only even alive now because of him, if he dies now, you might both go away and never come back." 

Mummymon took a moment to absorb this. Then he suddenly moved into a sprint. 

"Hey, wait up!" he shouted. "Come on, everyone - we have to hurry!" 

Tasuke glared at Kaiya. "You _had_ to put the idea in his head, didn't you?" 

She shrugged. It made no difference to her, since Marcel was carrying her. 

"I could carry one more," the clown offered. He seemed not to notice the weight of the girl on his shoulders, and moved as easily with her as he had without her. 

"Nah, I'll run, thanks," said Tasuke. "I'm not the star of the track team for nothing!" 

"Carry me!" said Speedbump. "I want a ride!" 

Marcel obediently scooped up the armadillo Digimon without so much as breaking his stride, and then bounded forward to catch up to Mummymon. Soon Kaiya was stuck at the back of a straggling line. She sighed. She didn't want to run. The afternoon's events had left her feeling weighted down. Gathering what energy she could find, she forced herself into a jog and set her mind on reaching the Primary Village. 

~*~

In the ordinary course of things, Chiaromon would probably have realized that Pipimon was not quite as dead as he would have liked. It was also true that he probably would have found out quickly enough that his servant was a good deal more dead than he would have preferred. Odds were good that he'd still find out, in due time, and when he did, things would happen that nobody else involved with the matter would enjoy. In the meantime, though, Chiaromon's spies were not as organized as he would have liked. Thus it came to pass that the first bit of news that reached him was in an entirely unrelated, but interesting, matter. 

"Master," said the Goblimon who guarded the eastern desert, "I've spotted a human." 

"What, another one?" said Chiaromon idly. "They do seem to be cropping up a lot lately. I shall have to deal with the matter eventually." 

The Goblimon tried not to sigh in exasperation. The hazard of dealing with Chiaromon and his dual-natured personality was that the things he said were absolutely imperative turned into non-issues in the course of a few minutes. It was next to impossible to guess, from day to day, what he actually wanted anyone to do. 

"She is alone," he persisted. "Should I send someone to delete her?" 

Chiaromon thought about this for a while. In fact, he thought about it for so long that the Goblimon was about to give up and walk away when he finally spoke. 

"Is this human adult, or a child?" 

"A child, my lord." 

"And she is alone?" 

"Except for her Digimon partner, yes." 

"What manner of Digimon is it?" 

"It is a Tentomon, my lord. He wouldn't be difficult to fight off. Do you want us to eliminate her?" 

"No," said Chiaromon. "No humans are to be eliminated without my say-so. That's a standing order." He paused a moment, thinking, and then added, "Particularly the female ones." 

The Goblimon nodded. He had been re-hatched a few times since then, but he could dimly remember a life as a servant of Chiaromon's father. He knew there was something the vampire-lord had enjoyed doing with female captives from time to time, though the Goblimon had only a dim idea what that could be. Still, he assumed that Chiaromon had something of the same thing in mind. 

"As you wish," said the Goblimon. "A capture, then, perhaps?" 

Chiaromon considered that a bit longer. 

"No," he said at last. "I would prefer to make a good impression. I will talk to her myself. It may be that she will be of some use to me, if I am careful. Where is she?" 

"The Waterpipe Wasteland, my lord." 

"Excellent. She will be easy to find there. I will go now." 

Chiaromon exited the room, heading for a balcony at the top of one of his towers, regretting once again that flying had to be a difficult task. He knew his father had had the trick of levitating himself by pure magical power; why couldn't _he_ do that? It was just one of the many bits of unfairness life had seen fit to drop on him. He reached the balcony, leaped, and struggled to get his wings spread properly. For a moment, he wobbled on the wind. Then he gave a mighty wrench and managed to steady himself enough to soar. 

*_One of these days,_* he thought grimly, *_I'm not going to make it in time, and then perhaps I won't have to worry about the problem anymore._* 

But no, he was an Ultimate Digimon, and there were few heights in the world tall enough that dropping him from them would be enough to finish him off. If there were, he would have used them, on the off-chance that he might be able to accidentally kill himself. As it was, he put the whole matter out of his mind and concentrated on his new objective. 

In the beginning, he had not been interested in the human children. They were no real threat to him, not while their partners were no more than weak Champions at best. It was their parents he was interested in, both for his research and his revenge. However, his recent encounters with the children had led him to think they might have their uses, after all. It was likely that his real targets were aware of his purpose. They would not come to the Digital World, now, while they knew he was looking for them - not unless they had a very compelling reason. Say, for example, that Chiaromon had something they wanted too much not to take the risk... 

Meanwhile, Seiko was a bit lost. At least, that was probably the best word for it. It was true that she didn't know precisely where she was, but she also had no real idea where she was going, and it was a bit hard to be properly lost if one didn't have a destination in mind. A destination was rapidly forming there, though, and it looked a lot like "anywhere but here". 

By pure chance, she had managed to materialize in one of those areas where the laws of nature had forgotten what they were supposed to be doing, with the practical upshot being that, in the places where trees and plants should have been growing, the earth had put forth an impressive collection of plumbing. Pipes grew up from the ground like odd vines, looping and twisting in a variety of odd shapes before finally plunging back into the ground again. Others sprouted high in the air like peculiar trees. Sinks of various sizes, shapes, and colors grew wild here. On a single thin pipe, a toilet was suspended in midair, of absolutely no use to anyone who didn't have twelve-foot-long legs. Other than that, there appeared to be nothing out here but rocks and dust. Certainly there were no living things as far as the eye could see, not so much as a gnat or a blade of grass. 

*_This is no good,_* thought Seiko, mopping sweat from her brow. *_I'm never going to get anywhere in a place like this!_* 

She was feeling miffed at the whole thing. Under favorable circumstances, she would have been fascinated by the whole thing, but those favorable circumstances would have included something to drink. The bare earth was hot, and all the metal around her seemed to be conducting the heat and keeping all the air around her at a temperature comparable to the average oven. She had only been there a half-hour or so, and already she was feeling dusty, overheated, slightly sunburned, and as thirsty as she had ever been in her life. 

"It's too hot," Spike complained. His insectoid system was even more sensitive to heat than hers was, and he was too drained to even fly. He was perched on his partner's back like a peculiar knapsack, and while he was not particularly heavy, Seiko was starting to feel weighed down by him. 

"You're telling me," she said. "I always thought the Digital World was mostly forests and stuff." 

"Well, this part sure isn't. Can we go home?" 

"No," said Seiko stubbornly. "I'm not giving up that easy. Hey, with all these sinks around, there's got to be some water somewhere, right?" 

They began testing sinks. The first one Seiko tried gushed forth orange soda. Another one glubbed a long time before finally oozing a stream of toothpaste. A third produced what smelled like motor oil, and a fourth produced ketchup. Spike tried one that bubbled out some peculiar pink substance that they eventually realized was liquid soap. 

"I wonder where it all comes from?" Seiko wondered, as she watched a stream of chicken soup spill merrily out of a faucet. 

"I just wonder where we could get a drink," said Spike woefully. "Right now, I'd settle for some shade." 

Something flashed over their heads, momentarily blotting out the sun and throwing a shadow over both of them. By the time they looked up, it was already gone. Out of their range of vision, something touched down on the dusty earth. 

Chiaromon stumbled. Flying was difficult, and landing was rather moreso. There was nothing to trip over in midair, but now his boots stirred up clouds of sand as he staggered and tried not to fall. Dust settled over his black and white clothing, tinting them faintly brown. He brushed at them fastidiously. He wanted to make a good first impression. 

Following the sound of his landing, Seiko walked around a jungle of twisting pipes that gurgled and dripped who-knew-what onto the muddy ground, and suddenly looked up and found herself facing the oddest Digimon she'd ever chanced to see. Just now he was busily preening grit out of one snowy wing. The other wing was equally dusty, but it was so black and ragged that a little dust was almost an improvement. He looked up at her, catching her gaze with a pair of intent blue eyes. 

"Hello," he said mildly. 

Seiko regarded him suspiciously. "I've heard about you. You're Chiaromon." 

"I am," he answered. "You have that advantage - that you know my name, whereas I do not know yours." 

"It's Seiko," she said. "Seiko Izumi." 

"Ah. So you are the famous Koushiro Izumi's child." He gave her a rather wistful look. "I suppose you intend to fight me, now that we've met?" 

Seiko hesitated a little. She had heard a bit about Chiaromon through her father - that he had taken Dr. Kido and had almost captured Mr. Ishida. The rumor that Mr. Motomiya had vanished had not yet gotten to her, but she still had a vague notion that Chiaromon was supposed to be an enemy. The idea of fighting and destroying him had been in the back of her mind when she'd chosen to come to the Digital World, but it was difficult to say so when he was standing there looking at her as if he rather hoped she _would_ destroy him. 

"No, not exactly," she said. 

Chiaromon sighed. "Pity. It would make things so much easier if you did." He eyed her speculatively for a moment. "Are you lost?" 

"Hm?" she said, taken aback. 

"The Waterpipe Wasteland is not a comfortable place for humans. You seem unprepared for it. I wondered if you had come here by accident. If you like, I will show you where there is water and shade, and then we can talk in comfort." 

"You're trying to trick me," she said. 

He shrugged elegantly. "As you wish. _I_ am going to find water. This heat is not comfortable." 

He began to walk away. Seiko watched him for a while, but as he seemed to be utterly uninterested in whether or not she followed him, so she decided there couldn't be any real harm in doing so, especially if he would show her where the water was. She would just tag along a few yards behind, using the omnipresent pipes and things as cover. She had plenty of video games where people did things like that; she'd always been rather good at it. 

As it turned out, the sneaking part was completely unncessary. Chiaromon never once looked behind him, and Seiko found herself getting annoyed. Being hot and thirsty made her irritable, and it was even worse when her quarry chose not to play her games. 

She probably would have grown very angry indeed if she hadn't reached their destination soon. As it was, they had gone only a short distance - perhaps half a mile or so - before she became aware of the sound of splashing water. Soon afterwards, she was able to see what looked like a massive ornamental fountain, ten times bigger than any other fountain she'd ever seen, spilling streams of water into a large basin. Chiaromon was kneeling by the basin's edge, sipping water from his cupped hands. Seiko watched him a while, but he didn't show any signs of wanting to leave - not that she blamed him; she wouldn't have wanted to leave such a shady, cool-looking spot if she were there. Finally, the tempting splash of the water proved too much for her, and she walked over to the other side of the fountain, and, pretending to ignore Chiaromon, she bent down, put her lips to the water, and drank deeply. Next to her, she could hear Spike doing much the same thing. Between gulps, she glanced up at Chiaromon through the streams of falling water; he didn't seem to notice she was there. 

"I wish you'd quit that," she said at last. 

Chiaromon turned slightly so that she was looking at the side of his face instead of just the back of his head. "I was not aware I was doing anything." 

"You're ignoring me." 

"I was under the impression that you did not want to speak to me." 

"I don't like being ignored, either," she said. "Either do something or go away." 

"I don't see where you are in a position to tell me to do something. What are _you_ doing here? I suppose your illustrious father sent you here, did he?" 

Seiko glared down into the rippling pool. "No. I came on my own?" 

"Really? How strange. I was sure you'd come here to research something, when I heard you were Koushiro Izumi's child." 

"Well, you're wrong," said Seiko. "He doesn't let me help with any of his projects." 

"Really?" Seiko was surprised to hear him speaking in a tone of concerned puzzlement. "How very odd, and such a waste. He of all people ought to know better..." 

"Know better than what?" she asked. She was annoyed with her father at the moment, but that didn't mean she wanted any strange Digimon bad-mouthing him. 

"Than to waste such a valuable resource," answered Chiaromon. "He ought to know that the Digital World has always been the domain of children. It makes no sense that he would deny his only child the opportunity to get to know it." 

"Well, he is," said Seiko. "He says I don't - I don't have enough discipline, or something." 

Chiaromon surprised her by laughing. He waved one of his hands to indicate the scenery around them. 

"Do you think this place was designed by a disciplined mind? No. This is the realm of imagination, where the rules of logic and natural law do not apply. That is why it is always children who are drawn here. Only a child whose mind has not yet been fettered by the bonds of dry reason can hope to understand this place. That is why I assumed you were here. A child like you would have a better chance of understanding the Digital World than your father ever could." 

"Really?" asked Seiko, intrigued in spite of herself. 

"Of course. You can't learn anything about the world by locking yourself in a dusty laboratory sorting figures all day. You have to get out and explore - see and hear and experience things. It calls for an adventurous spirit, someone strong and brave, someone willing to take what others would call foolish risks... someone very much like you. It is a pity your talents are being wasted like this. Given the chance, I believe you could truly learn the secrets of this world better than your father ever could..." 

His voice trailed off, but Seiko was hardly listening. Her mind had drifted off somewhere, to some distant golden mountain top, where she could overlook the entire world, with all its secrets just waiting to be discovered... 

Chiaromon glanced at her and nodded slightly. It was true that it took rather more effort for him to mesmerize a human than it would have taken for his mutant. Still, he was gone now, and Chiaromon _could_ put someone into a trance for a few moments if he needed to, if he was given an opening. He was very good at finding people's weak spots, and the hurt in her voice when she spoke of her father gave him all the information he needed. Now Seiko was simply staring off into space, a vacant smile on her face as she contemplated the dreams he'd given her. She'd stay that way for only a short while - an hour or two at the outside, but that would, hopefully, be enough. 

"What did you do?" asked the Tentomon. "Why is she staring like that?" 

"I don't think I want to talk to you," Chiaromon answered offhandedly. "I think you will sleep. Now." 

The Tentomon obediently dropped out of the sky, landing harmlessly on the soft, sandy ground, and began to snore. Chiaromon nodded again. It was a lot easier with his own kind. He stretched languidly - the afternoon sun made him sleepy, as did the expenditure of magic - and decided he didn't want to travel any further just now. He would wait right here and see whether or not his quarry would come after the bait. 

~*~

It was too quiet. 

Koushiro, reading over the afternoon paper, was gradually getting the feeling that something wasn't as it should be. He'd had spats with his daughter before - it was inevitable with such an intelligent and strong-willed teenager - and he knew the pattern they usually took. She didn't always take well to criticism, and her usual recourse to being scolded was to bury herself in those games she loved to play. On the rare occasion when his lectures managed to make her feel guilty enough to behave, she would consent to do a few pages of homework - usually with her stereo blasting out some music so she wouldn't be too painfully bored. If she was angry enough with him, she might cry a while before settling down. Whichever road things took, there should have been _some_ sound emanating from behind her closed door. 

"Something's wrong here," Koushiro muttered. "What is she doing?" 

Koushiro and Tentomon exchanged glances. The idea struck them at the same time, and both of them groaned. 

"She _didn't_," said Koushiro. "She wouldn't." 

"She would," Tentomon answered resignedly. 

Koushiro jumped to his feet and sprinted down the hall, with Tentomon buzzing after him. He pounded on her door. 

"Seiko? Are you in there? What are you doing?" he asked. 

There was no answer. With a sound of frustration, Koushiro tried the doorknob and found the door to be locked. He fished a paperclip from his pocket and picked it open anyway. The door was flung open, revealing... an empty room. The only sign of life was a faintly glowing computer. Koushiro groaned. 

"I'm going to kill her for this," he muttered. 

He reached for the keyboard and entered in a few strokes, checking on the Digital World portal. The log showed it had been opened less than an hour ago. A further check narrowed her location down to a certain sector of the Digital World, so that he could pinpoint her location to within a half-mile. Koushiro frowned. The area was marked on his map as the Waterpipe Wasteland. He'd never gotten around to exploring it himself, though Ken had informed him that it was primarily desert, and no vegetation would grow there. Even Digimon who generally thrived in the desert didn't spend much time there, since there was nothing for them to eat. It didn't sound like the place where Seiko was likely to go very far... but if there were no hostile Digimon there, she wasn't likely to get into much trouble, either. 

"Well, I suppose it could be worse," he sighed. "What do you say, Tentomon? Are you up for a trip to the Digital World?" 

"I thought we agreed none of us were going to go to the Digital World until we'd worked out a plan for dealing with Chiaromon," said Tentomon doubtfully. 

"We can't just leave Seiko there alone," said Koushiro. "We can't let her get away with this, either. Besides, what are the odds that Chiaromon is going to be hanging around in the middle of an uninhabitable desert just waiting for us?" 

~*~

Sitting in the desert and waiting didn't particularly agree with Chiarimon. He really didn't like strong sunlight - while its mere presence didn't physically pain him as it had his father, his fair skin burned easily, and there was nothing sinister about a villain with a sunburn. It was true, too, that his pale eyes couldn't see well in such strong light. He fished in a pocket and took out the interesting glasses that the girl Aiko had given him. Thinking about her gave him a kind of internal lurch of the kind he didn't want to contemplate too deeply. Perhaps it was only because no one had ever freely given him anything before... not since his mother had died, anyway... 

He jerked his mind away from that painful thought, and put on the sunglasses. That helped a great deal. Now he could gaze comfortably off at the horizon. He blinked. Was that a speck of movement there? Yes, now he could clearly see it - a faint cloud of dust, such as would be raised by someone walking through the dusty desert. He smiled slowly. Someone, it seems, had taken the bait. 

"Keep walking. She's right over here," he said. 

Koushiro halted. The voice had carried clearly through the still air. Hot as the desert was, Koushiro felt the temperature had just dropped a few degrees. There was something wrong with that voice - it was too calm, too detached. It was the voice of someone who was beyond feeling compassion for anyone. 

"Keep walking, I said," Chiaromon urged. "We haven't got all day." 

"It's you," said Koushiro. "Chiaromon." 

"Oh, come now. I thought you were the Child of Knowledge, not the Child of Stating the Obvious. You are clearly losing your touch." 

"I'm not coming any closer," said Koushiro, squinting off in the direction he thought the voice was coming from. There was a fountain there that filled the area with a fine spray, and even a few rainbows. It flashed and twinkled in the sunlight, making it difficult to see anything clearly from a distance. "I may not know everything, but I know what you're up to, and you're not putting one over on me." 

"Ah. You know what I'm up to, and you're not coming any closer. I suppose I can infer from this that you are not interested in what happens to your child?" 

Koushiro felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over him. He tried to remain calm. "You're bluffing." 

"You think? Not as clever as all that, are you?" 

With a growing sense of dread, Koushiro took a breath and began walking slowly forwards, keeping his eyes fixed on the shadows beneath the fountain. Gradually he became aware of a pale light that was in no way related to the glinting of the falling water. It was shaped like a wing with brilliant whit feathers, and next to it was a golden flash like pale blonde hair, and there were the shapes of boots and gloves... and there was a face there, its eyes hidden behind inscrutable dark glasses. One of those white gloved hands rested on the shoulder of a perfectly ordinary human girl with hair as red as Koushiro's own. She was staring vacantly into space, not seeming to realize her father was there. 

"Seiko!" he called. "Don't worry! I'm here to help now." 

Chiaromon laughed softly. "It's no good telling her not to worry. She can't see you. She doesn't know you're here, or I'm here, or anyone is here." 

"What have you done to her?" 

"Oh, don't worry. She's quite all right. She's only daydreaming. She will wake up eventually, and everything will be fine. She won't even remember anything ever happened." 

"You're up to something," Koushiro insisted. "You must have done something to her. She wouldn't come within a mile of you if you hadn't." 

Chiaromon smiled. "You are mistaken. She came to me willingly." 

"She didn't," said Koushiro, but he felt a sinking feeling inside. 

"She did. She was most upset when she found me. It was I who listened to her, who comforted her..." 

"You tricked her," Koushiro spat. 

"Yes. I readily admit that. I listened to what she had to say, I pried out her inner secrets, and I used them to put her in a trance, so that we could wait for you here," said Chiaromon. "Would you like to know what her secrets are? You are so interested in the acquisition of knowledge, I would think you would be quite interested..." 

"It's none of my business," said Koushiro, "and you'd lie to me anyway." 

"You're afraid to face the truth," Chiaromon said. "Perhaps, in your wisdom, you've already sensed it. How much resentment she harbors toward you. How jealous she is of you. How clearly she senses how little you love her..." 

"You're lying!" Koushrio snarled. "I love Seiko more than anything." 

"Except your work," answered Chiaromon smoothly. "You tell her you love her, but she doesn't believe it. How can she, when some nights you don't even come home because you're so wrapped up in some research trail? Do you really think she believes your words when you'd rather spend time locked up in a laboratory than spend time with her? All she ever wanted was to spend time with you, to help you, and you push her away..." 

"Stop it. I won't listen to this." 

"Don't you want to know? Sometimes knowledge is painful, Koushiro. It's time you looked at yourself in the light of the truth. You put up walls between yourself and your child, and when she does the same to you - hides in her room pursuing her own passions - you scold her for it, and use it as an excuse to push her even further away. Small wonder she was willing to accept comfort from anyone she met, if it would get her away from you." 

"Be quiet! I don't want to hear it!" 

Chiaromon smiled coldly. "Why does it bother you? You don't care. Let's have the truth now - you didn't even just come here to look for her. You came because you'd never seen this place, and you had to satisfy that insatiable curiosity of yours. You broke your word to your friends because you couldn't stand not knowing." 

"Shut up!" Koushiro was furious now; tears were standing in his eyes. "I don't want to hear any more! I won't listen to you!" 

"Now you're showing some sense," said Chiaromon. "Knowledge is pain. The truth hurts. If you don't want it anymore, just give it all to me. I'll make it go away." 

"Koushiro, don't do it," Tentomon pleaded. "Don't listen to him. Remember what happened last time?" 

Somewhere in the back of Koushiro's mind, he did dimly remember - a dark void, a persuasive voice telling him to just give everything up, to clear his mind and be at rest. At the time, he'd been young and naive, and anything had seemed possible. He hadn't been ready to give up, then. He had the strength to fight back, but now... what was the point? What good was all his intelligence doing him now, if he could fail his daughter so badly that she was willing to abandon him for an enemy? It seemed like he knew everything but the most important thing: how to take care of his own child. If he couldn't do that, well... what did his research matter, really?" 

"Fine," he said tiredly. "I don't want to deal with it anymore." 

Chiaromon spread his hands. "So be it." 

Koushiro's last sight before the darkness closed in was of two smiling faces - Seiko still staring vacantly into nowhere, Chiaromon smiling smugly as he watched his enemy succumb to the shadows. The last thought he had time for was a kind of grim satisfaction that maybe he'd made a smart choice, for a change. Then Koushiro was completely lost in darkness and merciful oblivion. 

A short while later, Seiko blinked her eyes slowly and looked around. How had she gotten here? She must have been daydreaming, or perhaps she'd dozed off in the afternoon heat. She had the sense that she'd had a strange dream - there had been a man with wings in it, and her father had been there, for some reason, and it seemed to her they'd been arguing, but she couldn't remember for certain. Obviously the heat did funny things to your brain. There was no one here but herself and Spike. She nudged him with her foot. 

"Come on," she said. "We ought to get out of here and find some shelter before it gets too dark." 

Spike jerked awake in mid-snore and fluttered his wings to get the sand out of them. If he'd been having any dreams at all, he couldn't remember them. 

"Good idea," he said. "Where are we going to do that?" 

Seiko looked around. Her eyes lit on a faint track in the dust, as if someone had been walking there not too long ago. The wind had rearranged the sand around it too much for her to see what kind of tracks they were, but if someone had passed that way recently, then it made sense to follow them. 

"Let's go that way," she said. 

Spike nodded, and he followed obediently behind Seiko as she innocently trotted off in her father's footsteps. 

~*~

The time had come to call a halt. 

Despite the fact that the Primary Village was still miles away, there was simply no going on today. The humans traveling on foot had been moving at a steady jog for hours now, and they were exhausted and footsore. Even those who had been carried were beginning to grow weary - it required a certain amount of effort just to keep from falling off. Even Arukenimon and Mummymon seemed to be feeling a strain, owing, perhaps, to their connection to their master. Only Marcel was as fresh as ever, and he shuffled along looking rather guilty that he wasn't as uncomfortable as the rest of them. To top it all off, the clouds above them were gathering steadily, and there was a distant rumble of thunder that promised that bad weather was on its way. 

"It's no good," Arukenimon said. "We're going to have to call it quits." 

"But what if Chiaromon finds the egg before we do?" asked Mitsu around a yawn. She seemed to be battling to stay awake. 

"He hasn't found it yet," said Mummymon thoughtfully. "We'd know it, I think, if he had." 

"You're probably right," Arukenimon agreed. "Anyway, there's no way we could make it there today, even if it wasn't going to storm. If we did, we'd be too exhausted to do anything about it. We're going to have to get some rest and keep going in the morning." 

"Rest _where_?" Kaze demanded. "I don't know about you two, but I don't see any hotels nearby." 

Arukenimon glared at him, and he remembered belatedly that she was in a very bad mood, and furthermore that she didn't like him much at the best of times. Marcel stepped in before it could get ugly. 

"Perhaps I could be of some service?" he offered tremulously. 

"What are you going to do?" Tasuke said. "Magic us up a motel?" 

"Something like that," was Marcel's ambiguous reply. 

As everyone watched in puzzlement, he began walking around the area, laying out a set of four silk handkerchiefs in varying colors: one pink, one blue, one purple, one yellow. He stopped in front of the blue one, took out one of his wands and tapped it lightly. The handkerchief wiggled slightly, as if a mouse was crawling around underneath it. 

"Oh, please don't be like that," he begged. With a fearful glance at his audience, he rolled up his sleeves and flourished the wand again. This time, the square of cloth writhed, stretched, and expanded upwards until it had formed the shape of a pale blue tent about five feet high and ten feet square. The pink handkerchief became a slightly smaller tent, and the last two were smaller still. The yellow one was hardly more than a pup-tent. Marcel stood back to admire his handiwork, panting slightly at the exertion. 

"I think that will do," he said. "It might be a bit cramped, but they'll keep the rain off." 

He took out a white handkerchief and slipped off his mask to wipe his face. A few people stared with interest, attempting to catch a glimpse, but the cloth covered his face completely, and he slipped his mask back on immediately afterwards. 

"Guess he's good for something, after all," said Kaze grudgingly, as the first drops of rain began to patter down. "Girls get the pink tent!" 

He dove inside the blue tent, followed promptly by his partner and the rest of the boys. Kaiya shrugged and led Mitsu and Keiji into the pink tent. Marcel meekly claimed the smallest tent for his own, wishing everyone a good night as he disappeared inside and zipped up the flap. Arukenimon and Mummymon exchanged glances, shrugged, and shifted back into their human forms so that they would be able to fit inside the purple tent. It was a rather close fit all the same, but Arukenimon offered only a token grumble, and Mummymon did not complain at all. 

Kaiya curled up in an unused corner of the tent with Wingblade snuggled up against her. This was the only time of day when he actually took his sunglasses off, and he looked oddly vulnerable without them. On the other side of the tent, Keiji was dozing off with her head propped on Speedbump's shell; the somnolent armadillo was already snoring. Mitsu shuffled around as she attempted to get comfortable on the uneven ground, while her partner, his ears folded daintily against his back, watched her with concern. Outside, the rain began pattering down, but the inside of the tents stayed warm and dry. 

"Would you stop wiggling?" Bubbles asked. 

"Sorry," said Mitsu to her partner. "I've just got a lot on my mind. Poor little Pipimon..." 

"We'll save him," said the Patamon. "You just wait and see." 

Mitsu shook his head. "That's not good enough. There's no excuse for killing an innocent baby Digimon. Chiaromon has to be punished. We have to make him hurt like he hurt Pipimon and Mr. Oikawa..." 

Bubbles frowned. He wasn't sure he liked her tone of voice. 

"It'll be okay," he said, trying to sound soothing. "Something will work out somehow." 

"It had better," said Mitsu fiercely. 

Bubbles just sighed. He hated it when his partner was angry. He closed his eyes and tried to get some sleep as he listened to the crashing of the coming storm. 

~*~

It was deathly silent in the basement of Chiaromon's palace. The young ruler stood impassively in the center of the room as he stared at his newest acquisition. His feelings of victory had soured so much more quickly, this time. Somehow, he felt that this prize had been taken unfairly. He prided himself on his ability to pry the dark secrets from the minds of his victims; it didn't seem right that he had to use a child as leverage to make it work. He hadn't even been fully honest with Koushrio. True, it had worked, and there was no getting around the fact that it had to be done, but still, even Chiaromon believed there was a right and wrong way to do things. He stared at the tired, resigned face of his new captive. 

"How does it feel?" he murmured. "How does it feel to be betrayed by your own child?" 

Koushiro did not answer. All he did was stare out through his prison of dark crystal, gazing steadily and unreadably at Chiaromon with haunted eyes. Chiaromon turned slightly, so that he was facing the other two captives as well. They, too, had their faces locked in expressions of pain and despair. They seemed to be staring at him. The Digimon felt himself surrounded by accusers. He backed away, bristling. 

"It's not my fault!" he told them. "I can't help being born this way! I don't want to do this, but I have to! Don't you understand? I hate every minute of this, but I can't stop myself from doing it! It's _your_ fault this is happening! If you had just had the mercy to destroy me when you had the chance, this wouldn't be happening!" 

Breathing raggedly, he dropped to his knees, pounding the floor in overwhelming frustration. A small breeze blew from nowhere, stirring his hair and feathers. A dark mist seemed to fill the room, trailing around and over Chiaromon like thin veils. 

_I hope you aren't giving in to despair,_ it said. 

"No," said Chiaromon. "No more than usual, at least..." 

_Good. I would hate to think you were losing your nerve. You are nearly halfway done, Chiaromon. Then we can both rest easily._

"Yes," said Chiaromon, relaxing a bit. "We are nearly there, Lord. Nearly there." 

_Don't worry about a thing. I will guide you. I am already stronger than I was._

"I couldn't do this without your help." 

_I know. I will give you the strength you need to continue... and then you will complete your half of the bargain._

"Yes, Lord. I will not fail you." 

_Excellent. Stay focused, Chiaromon. Soon you will have your desire, and you will join these three in the rest of endless darkness..._

"Yessss...." whispered Chiaromon wistfully. 

The mist departed as silently as it had come, with only a rushing wind that put out all the candles in the room, plunging it into shadows. Chiaromon remained where he was - not weeping now, but still and calm. He felt his hopes returning. All around him, he could see nothing but shadows... 

...but that was just a taste of what was to come. 

**

TO BE CONTINUED

**


End file.
